Sharks v Knights NRLW preview

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Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (W) v Newcastle Knights (W) Sunday 1:45pm at Sharks Stadium, Woolooware / Dharawal

Sharks look to continue undefeated season against vulnerable Knights outfit

The Knights have been the dominant team of the NRLW over the last two years and entered this campaign as reigning back-to-back premiers. On the surface, their start to 2024 appeared to be more of the same, winning their first two games to make it 11 in a row without a loss extending back to 2023. Despite still coming out on top on the scoreboard however, it wasn't the same sort of clinical performances that's seen them cruise through the regular season in the past, barely surviving a late scare against the Roosters and rallying for a comeback win against the Raiders that included a penalty try in the last two minutes.The Knights finally paid the price for playing with their food in round 3, going down 18-10 against a Dragons side they were expected to get past with ease in a game that was more one-sided than the scoreboard suggests, with the Red V dominating possession, particularly in the second half.

It doesn't get any easier this week against a Sharks team that has shown glimpses of premiership potential in their three games. They cruised past the Cowboys at home in Round 1, but it's their two matches since then that give reason to believe they can be there at the pointy end of the season. They won a see-sawing affair two weeks ago against a much-improved Eels side, while last week against Canberra they found themselves down 12-0 early in the second half before putting five unanswered tries on the Raiders to end up 24-12 winners. 

The NRLW feels as open as it's ever been this year in terms of the number of teams who feel they have a realistic chance at winning the premiership, and the fact that the Sharks have already shown they can maintain their intensity for a full 70 minutes over multiple games is as good a reason for optimism as any. The number of questions set to be answered by this matchup gives it game of the round potential in my opinion. If the Sharks continue rolling after two hard fought road trips and beat what has been the best team in the comp over the last two years, whatever doubt there is about their legitimacy will be gone. For the Knights, last week was a wakeup call that needs to be answered; they have yet to put together a complete performance and the Sharks will have no trouble making them pay for any lapses in concentration.

Last meeting: Round 6 2023 - Knights 22 Sharks 14

Who to watch: Sharks prop Ellie Johnston has been as close as you can to the full package for a forward as you can get so far this season, excelling in every aspect of the game an elite middle should and then some. While she doesn't make as many raw running metres as some other players, her approach is very much "quality over quantity", averaging 4 tackle breaks per game while also recording a line break in each of the last two weeks. She is also a genuine try scoring threat, scoring six last year which was good for the most on the Sharks roster, forwards and backs, and that form has carried over with a try apiece in her last two games. Her defence has also been borderline unbelievable, recording a tackle efficiency of 98.3% (!!) last season. That number has dropped to 95.5 this year, despite Johnston making a mammoth 37 tackles last week without a single miss. It's too much of an ask for the Knights to fully shut down Johnston, so the degree to which they're able to limit her impact will go a long way to winning the game.

Despite Newcastle's struggles so far this year, superstar fullback Tamika Upton has still provided a steady source of individual brilliance that can be relied upon. Against the Raiders a couple of weeks ago, her chase of a last-minute grubber resulted in the penalty try that won the Knights the game, while last week, despite the loss, early doors it looked like the Knights were in for a dominant win as she dummied and accelerated her way through a gap in the defensive line for an early try. A lot of the Knights troubles in that game stemmed from their inability to hold the ball, finishing with just 21/33 sets completed for a 63% completion rate. It resulted in their stars, of which Upton is the most prominent, being starved of attacking opportunity. You'd expect a team like Newcastle to bounce back, and when they do, it will be interesting to see how involved Upton is able to make herself.

MY TIP: While it's always dangerous to write off a champion team, I just haven't seen enough from the Knights this season to suggest they'll be able to hang with Cronulla for the full 70 minutes, a task made even harder by the fact they'll be on the road. Sharks by 8.

1. Cassie Staples 2. Nakia Davis-Welsh 3. Tiana Penitani 4. Annessa Biddle 5. Georgia Ravics 21. Emma Tonegato 7. Tayla Preston 8. Ellie Johnston 9. Quincy Dodd 10. Holli Wheeler 11. Talei Holmes 12. Vanessa Foliaki 13. Brooke Anderson 14. Sharni Smale 15. Chloe Saunders 16. Manilita Takapautolo 17. Tegan Dymock 19. Leki Leilua

1. Tamika Upton 2. Tenika Willison 3. Shanice Parker 4. Abigail Roache 5. Lilly-Ann White 6. Georgia Roche 7. Jesse Southwell 8. Tayla Predebon 9. Olivia Higgins 10. Kayla Romaniuk 11. Laishon Albert-Jones 12. Yasmin Clydsdale 13. Hannah Southwell 14. Nita Maynard 15. Simone Karpani 16. Rima Butler 17. Grace Kukutai 18. Jacinta Carter

Referees: Daniel Luttringer; Sideline Officials: Billy Greatbatch, Dillian Wells; Video Referees: Matt Noyen;