· Tom
2018 NRL – Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks vs St George-Illawarra Dragons Preview
AT A GLANCE
When? Thursday 15th March, 09:05 (UK)
Where? Southern Cross Group Stadium
What channel is it on? Sky Sports Arena, Nine network, Foxtel, LIVE PASS
Where can I stream the match? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Australian fans can visit the links below:
https://www.foxtel.com.au/outa...
https://www.telstra.com.au/tv-movies-music/sports-offer
Are tickets still available? http://premier.ticketek.com.au...
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
SHARKS
Head Coach: Shane Flanagan
Starting 13: Holmes, Feki, Dugan, Leutele, Gray, Moylan, Townsend, Fifita, Brailey, Prior, Bukuya, Graham, Gallen – Interchanges: Capwell, Segeyaro, Seumanufagai, Paulo – Reserves: Dillon, Hodkinson, Ramien, Williams
Unavailable: Luke Lewis, Sione Katoa
- Cronulla Sharks couldn’t stop North Queensland Cowboys claiming a Round 1 victory as Gavin Cooper’s 76th minute try was enough to leave a six-point gap between the two sides with the Cowboys claiming a 20-14 victory.
- The Sharks will be without Luke Lewis for three to four weeks with a foot injury he picked up in training whilst Sione Katoa suffered a double break in his jaw in the loss against the Cowboys.
- Cronulla only spent 26:40 on the ball last week with the Cowboys spending nearly five minutes longer in possession. Having completed at just 62%, this will be an area the Sharks will look to clean up this week.
DRAGONS
Head Coach: Paul McGregor
Starting 13: Dufty, Macdonald, Aitken, Lafai, Nightingale, Widdop, Hunt, Graham, McInnes, Vaughan, Frizell, Sims, De Belin – Interchanges: Leilua, Mann, Ah Mau, Sele – Reserves: Latimore, Lomax, Robson, Lawrie
Unavailable:
- St George Illawarra Dragons were arguably the most impressive side coming out of Round 1 after they comfortably defeated the Brisbane Broncos 34-12 at the Jubilee Oval.
- Jeremy Latimore drops back into the reserves having been replaced by Hame Sele.
- A big feature of the Dragons’ win over the Broncos was the amount of metres that they made, especially in comparison to their opposition. The Dragons made 1641 metres in the game, compared to just 1099 for the Broncos.
THE PREDICTION
The Sharks and the Dragons kick off Round 2 of the NRL in an intriguing encounter. The Sharks have been a solid NRL side for a few years now having claimed their maiden Premiership in 2016. They started the season with a loss at the Cowboys but showed signs that they can be a force again this year. The Dragons looked revitalised with new halfback Ben Hunt forming a great early partnership with Gareth Widdop. This is a tough one to call but the Dragons were that impressive in Round 1 that they just get the nod.
