North Queensland Cowboys v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Bulldogs v Titans preview
3 hours ago | Kelly Hollis
Cowboys v Sharks preview
Will the Cowboys be Cronulla's first victims of 2025?
Two first round losers, but in contrasting ways do battle on Super Saturday as the North Queensland Cowboys take on the Cronulla Sharks from Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The Cowboys endured what can only be described as an opening round nightmare in Sydney as Manly put the cleaners through them at Brookvale Oval. They were simply out enthused across all aspects of play in the opening 15 minutes which saw them trail 18-0. Essentially, by that point the game was over. The game would only derail from there, trailing by as much as 42 points midway through the second half.
What would be most concerning to Todd Payten was the side's lack of discipline, conceding 9 penalties and missing 46 tackles (36 missed, 10 ineffective). A more equal spread of possession will almost certainly go a way to claiming some sort of result against the Sharks. Tom Duffy had a rough NRL debut but dominated the kicking game and defended brilliantly. John Bateman had a sound Cowboys debut, defending well and being one of a rare few Cowboys to run with intent along with Viliami Vailea and Braidon Burns. To beat Cronulla, they will need to dominate the middle and contain Addin Fonua-Blake on-top of the back five which are among the NRL's best coming out of yardage. With more ball down Cronulla's end, they should be able to run some shape similar to what Penrith threw at the Sharks in Vegas.
Onto team news. Todd Payten has made one man accountable after the disappointing season opener. Jeremiah Nanai has been dropped with Kai O'Donnell coming in for his first NRL game since 2020. Jake Clifford and Jason Taumalolo are listed as reserves.
On the other side of the ball, Cronulla were within minutes of running down the undisputed premiers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. That being said there were some signs of hope and optimism. Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall combined brilliantly in the halves, complementing each other well despite media reports suggesting Hynes needed to do more. Will Kennedy showed flashes of brilliance and also some intriguing moments with some poor positioning. New recruit Addin Fonua-Blake was easily their best on ground, giving the Sharks needed forward momentum and allowing the halves to dictate the attacking terms.
To beat the Cowboys, they need to earn the right to play in good ball territory. They managed four tries against the Panthers which didn't come against the run of play and they earned the right. Against arguably a weaker pack, there's no excuses for the Sharks not to be running down-hill all night long. Out wide, the execution needs to be on point again because the Cowboys can attack and score quickly. Onto team news, the Sharks are as per program from their trip to Vegas showing a settled lineup.
Last meeting: Finals Week 2 2024 - Sharks 26 Cowboys 18
Who to watch: For the Cowboys, the focus is on new Cowboy Kai O'Donnell. Having missed selection in Round 1, Todd Payten has given him the chance that I have been calling for in the NRL. O'Donnell was one of the form try-scorers for forwards in the Super League, running great lines and defending well. We didn't see him standout in the trials but a major test comes this weekend in his Cowboys debut.
Given the sad ACL injury to Liam Ison. This season has now become the audition for Will Kennedy. Kennedy had an okay performance in the opening round, running over 140 metres and having a hand in a big game play setting Ronaldo Mulitalo down the wing as well as save a try and 40/20 in the first half. To counter that, he was caught out of position for a critical Tago try. With a big chance to prove his worth, it is now or never for Kennedy if he wants to stay at the back for the Sharks.
Favourite: Cronulla are well backed to win this one after the Cowboys' first round slip-up.
My tip: North Queensland have to be better than what we saw last Saturday. Their task doesn't get any easier than one of the predicted form sides of the upcoming season. Cronulla's pack has versatility but will need to capitalise on attacking field position, just like they did in the semi-finals. If they do that, they will walk away in the two points fairly well. Sharks by 8.
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Thomas Duffy 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Sam McIntyre 11. John Bateman 12. Kai O'Donnell 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Karl Lawton 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Jake Clifford 19. Jeremiah Nanai 20. Thomas Mikaele 21. Jaxson Paulo 22. Jason Taumalolo
1. William Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Siosifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Thomas Hazelton 18. Tuku Hau Tapuha 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Billy Burns 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Hohepa Puru
Referees: Liam Kennedy; Sideline Officials: Jarrod Cole, Tyson Brough; Video Referees: Gerard Sutton;