Sharks v Broncos: Hiroti wings it; Piakura debuts
Even if the eighth-placed Sharks win their last two matches it might not be enough to land them a spot in the finals.
That's because they're only 14 differential points ahead of the ninth-placed Titans.
Firstly, they need to beat the Broncos on Saturday and then they maybe should think about trying to improve their for-and-against.
But beating the Broncos is far from a given, just ask the Warriors following Brisbane's deserved win on Sunday.
One thing the Sharks have in their favour is that the two team immediately below them on the ladder - Gold Coast and Canberra will have already played their round 24 matches when Cronulla step onto Suncorp Stadium. The Titans lost to the Knights on Thursday night, in a boost for the Sharks.
Match: Sharks v Broncos
Round 24 -
home Team
Sharks
8th Position
away Team
Broncos
15th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
The rundown
Team news
Sharks: Luke Metcalf and Braydon Trindall are expected to retain their positions in the starting side despite Matt Moylan's return a success last week.
Mawene Hiroti (hand) has been named as the replacement for winger Ronaldo Mulitalo (jaw) after being omitted 24 hours before the big win over Wests Tigers.
Connor Tracey retains his spot in the centres while Aiden Tolman returns from a one-match suspension via the interchange.
Kai O'Donnell is the 18th man. Jonaiah Lualua dropped out on game day after Billy Magoulias and Jenson Taumoepeau were trimmed from the squad in the 24-hour submission.
The Sharks have won only two of their past eight games at Suncorp Stadium.
Broncos: TC Robati starts in the second row in place of Jordan Riki (ankle), with highly-rated rookie Brandan Piakura to make his debut via the bench.
David Mead is the 18th man.
Cory Paix and Brodie Croft dropped out of the squad 24 hours before kick-off.
The Broncos have won seven of their past eight games against the Sharks as they eye back-to-back wins for the first time since round two last season.
Match: Sharks v Broncos
Round 24 -
home Team
Sharks
away Team
Broncos
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Sharks is number 1 William KennedyFullback for Broncos is number 1 Tesi Niu
-
Winger for Sharks is number 2 Sione KatoaWinger for Broncos is number 2 Corey Oates
-
Centre for Sharks is number 3 Connor TraceyCentre for Broncos is number 3 Selwyn Cobbo
-
Centre for Sharks is number 4 Jesse RamienCentre for Broncos is number 4 Herbie Farnworth
-
Winger for Sharks is number 5 Mawene HirotiWinger for Broncos is number 5 Xavier Coates
-
Five-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Luke MetcalfFive-Eighth for Broncos is number 6 Anthony Milford
-
Halfback for Sharks is number 7 Braydon TrindallHalfback for Broncos is number 7 Albert Kelly
Forwards
-
Prop for Sharks is number 8 Toby RudolfProp for Broncos is number 8 Thomas Flegler
-
Hooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke BraileyHooker for Broncos is number 9 Jake Turpin
-
Prop for Sharks is number 10 Aaron WoodsProp for Broncos is number 10 Payne Haas
-
2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Briton Nikora2nd Row for Broncos is number 11 Alex Glenn
-
2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Siosifa Talakai2nd Row for Broncos is number 17 Teui Robati
-
Lock for Sharks is number 13 Jack WilliamsLock for Broncos is number 13 Kobe Hetherington
Interchange
-
Interchange for Sharks is number 14 Matt MoylanInterchange for Broncos is number 14 Danny Levi
-
Interchange for Sharks is number 15 Braden Hamlin-UeleInterchange for Broncos is number 15 Rhys Kennedy
-
Interchange for Sharks is number 16 Aiden TolmanInterchange for Broncos is number 16 Ethan Bullemor
-
Interchange for Sharks is number 17 Teig WiltonInterchange for Broncos is number 19 Brendan Piakura
Reserves
-
Reserve for Sharks is number 18 Kai O'DonnellReserve for Broncos is number 18 David Mead
Match Officials
- Referee: Adam Gee
- Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
- Touch Judge: Wyatt Raymond
- Senior Review Official: Steve Chiddy
Last updated:
Key match-up
Toby Rudolf v Payne Haas. Rudolf just keeps on improving. He's quickly becoming one of the best young middle forwards in the NRL. In this game he can test himself against arguably the No.1 middle forward in the Telstra Premiership.
Stat attack
They're now looking good to make the finals, but the Sharks still need to improve their tackling. Through 22 matches this season they've missed 828 tackles. That's the most in the NRL.
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