2020 NRL – Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks taking place? Saturday 3rd October, 2020 – 08:40 (UK)
Where is Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks taking place? GIO Stadium, Canberra
What is the expected weather for Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks? 19c, partly cloudy
What channel is Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
Where can I get tickets for Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks? Click here for ticket information on 2020 NRL matches
THE TEAM NEWS
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Starting 13: Nicoll-Klokstad, Valemei, Croker, Rapana, Cotric, Wighton, G. Williams, Papalii, Starling, Lui, Bateman, Whitehead, Tapine – Interchanges: Havili, Soliola, Young, Harawira-Naera – Reserves: S. Williams, Timoko
Unavailable: Sebastian Kris (Illness), Corey Horsburgh (Injured), Emre Guler (Injured), Josh Hodgson (Injured), Bailey Simonsson (Injured), Curtis Scott (Injured), Ryan Sutton (Injured)
- Canberra Raiders’ young guns produced a brilliant performance as they defeated a much more experienced Cronulla Sharks outfit to secure fifth spot in the NRL and they will now host the same opponents in week 1 of the finals.
- Despite resting the majority of their first choice 17 in order to protect them for the business end of the season, the young Raiders did a superb job as they ran in seven tries and with their big hitters returning for this, they will be extremely confident of success.
- John Bateman is back after overcoming an elbow injury while a handful of other players are also set to shake off knocks to feature, although there is no place for Ryan Sutton with the forward missing out through a knee injury.
CRONULLA SHARKS
Starting 13: Kennedy, Katoa, Dugan, Ramien, Mulitalo, Tracey, Townsend, Hamlin-Uele, Brailey, Woods, Nikora, Graham, Rudolf – Interchanges: Talakai, Sorensen, Fifita, Williams – Reserves: Wilton, Hiroti
Unavailable: Cameron King (Injured), Bronson Xerri (Disciplinary), Jackson Ferris (Injured), Matt Moylan (Injured), Shaun Johnson (Injured), Royce Hunt (Injured)
- Cronulla Sharks suffered a poor end to the campaign as they were beaten by a severely under-strength Canberra Raiders side and they have it all to do if they want to avoid going one and out in the finals.
- After allowing 38 points in last week’s clash, the Sharks ended the regular season with a total of 480 points conceded which is over 100 more than any other side that ended in the top eight.
- Their ability to score points has also been impacted by the loss of key playmaker Shaun Johnson so they will have to hope that the return of halfback Chad Townsend from suspension can be enough to help them outscore their opponents.
THE PREDICTION
Canberra Raiders have steadily improved towards the back end of the season and they will be quietly confident of having another tilt at the Grand Final. Last year’s beaten finalists have endured an inconsistent season but they come into this on the back of six wins in their last seven and will firmly believe they have enough to at least progress to next week. Their young side overcame Cronulla Sharks last week and now with their big guns back, the Raiders look to have a brilliant chance of progressing. The Sharks’ leaky defence could be a big problem for them and if the Raiders can build an early lead, they are likely to prove difficult to overcome with the home side able to win this one by at least 12 points.
