2021 NRL – St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks taking place? Sunday 14th March, 2021 – 07:15 (UK)
Where is St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks taking place? Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
Where can I get tickets for St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks? Click here for ticket information on 2021 NRL matches
What channel is St. George Illawarra Dragons 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 St. George Illawarra Dragons 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
THE TEAM NEWS
ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Starting 13: Dufty, Ramsey, Bird, Lomax, Ravalawa, Clune, Hunt, Lawrie, McCullough, Vaughan, Kerr, Sims, Fuimaono – Interchanges: Faamusili, Merrin, Alvaro, Wiliame – Reserves: Ford, Ellis, Pereira, Feagai
Unavailable: Jack de Belin (Suspended), Cameron McInnes (Injured), Jayden Sullivan (Injured), Corey Norman (Suspended)
- It was another season to forget for St. George Illawarra Dragons as they struggled at the wrong end of the ladder for the majority of the campaign and it ended up costing head coach Paul McGregor his job.
- Anthony Griffin is the new man in charge but he looks to have a huge task on his hands with a roster that lacks quality and he has already suffered a massive blow with the influential Cameron McInnes ruled out for the campaign with a serious knee injury.
CRONULLA SHARKS
Starting 13: Kennedy, Katoa, Dugan, Ramien, Mulitalo, Moylan, Townsend, Hamlin-Uele, Brailey, Woods, Nikora, Graham, Rudolf – Interchanges: Tracey, Tolman, Jack Williams, Magoulias – Reserves: Hiroti, Wilton, Fifita, Trindall
Unavailable: Bronson Xerri (Suspended), Shaun Johnson (Injured), Jack A Williams (Injured), Royce Hunt (Injured), Siosifa Talakai (Injured)
- Cronulla Sharks somehow managed to scrape into the finals last season despite not beating a single game against any of the top eight but it was little surprise that they then fell at the first hurdle as they were knocked out against Canberra Raiders.
- The Sharks must improve on that record this time around but they face a big challenge to do so with key man Shaun Johnson set to miss the first quarter of the campaign with the Achilles injury which curtailed his season in 2020.
THE PREDICTION
St. George Illawarra Dragons have it all to do if they are to avoid the wooden spoon this year with their squad looking short of talent. They are likely to be drawn into the battle to avoid finishing bottom but even if they can avoid that fate, their chances of making a push up the ladder towards the top eight look very low. They will hope they can at least make a strong start here against Cronulla Sharks, a side that will be eager to improve on last year’s efforts. They made the finals but struggled against the teams that finished above them and with Shaun Johnson set to miss a decent part of the campaign, it will be tough for them to make the eight again. Both teams will want to make a good start here but the pair do not look like they will have much about them defensively which should lead to a contest that produces over 41.5 points here.
