Sharks v Eels: McInnes, Tracey cleared; Brown, Opacic step up
The Sharks will welcome back their coach Craig Fitzgibbon for their return to PointsBet Stadium after two years playing out of Netstrata Jubilee Stadium and then Queensland when the competition was relocated.
These two clubs have produced some epic contests over the years and the Sharks' home ground is sure to be rocking as they look to post their first win of 2022 and deny Parramatta back-to-back victories.
New recruits Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes had some nice moments in the narrow loss to the Green Machine and they'll have big roles to play if Cronulla are to subdue one of the premiership heavyweights.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Sharks v Eels
The Rundown
Team news
Sharks: Connor Tracey (quad) will start in the centres, while star recruit Cameron McInnes (knee) is on the bench after the pair were cleared to make their first appearances of the season. Ronaldo Mulitalo shifts from centre to wing, with Matt Ikuvalu making way. Royce Hunt drops out of the squad for McInnes.
Eels: Jake Arthur has been recalled to the interchange in place of Bryce Cartwright in a late change to Brad Arthur's side. The injury to hat-trick hero Sean Russell has forced a reshuffle with Waqa Blake shifting out to the wing and Tom Opacic coming into the side at centre. Oregon Kaufusi is the new No.13 and Ryan Matterson is out with a hamstring injury.
Nathan Brown is back in the squad after playing NSW Cup last week. Cartwright is 18th man.
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Sharks is number 1 William KennedyFullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton Gutherson
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Winger for Sharks is number 2 Sione KatoaWinger for Eels is number 2 Waqa Blake
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Centre for Sharks is number 3 Jesse RamienCentre for Eels is number 3 Will Penisini
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Centre for Sharks is number 20 Connor TraceyCentre for Eels is number 4 Tom Opacic
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Winger for Sharks is number 4 Ronaldo MulitaloWinger for Eels is number 5 Bailey Simonsson
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Five-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Matt MoylanFive-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan Brown
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Halfback for Sharks is number 7 Nicholas HynesHalfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell Moses
Forwards
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Prop for Sharks is number 8 Toby RudolfProp for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
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Hooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke BraileyHooker for Eels is number 9 Reed Mahoney
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Prop for Sharks is number 10 Braden Hamlin-UeleProp for Eels is number 10 Junior Paulo
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2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Briton Nikora2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane
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2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Teig Wilton2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i
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Lock for Sharks is number 13 Dale FinucaneLock for Eels is number 13 Oregon Kaufusi
Interchange
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Interchange for Sharks is number 14 Aiden TolmanInterchange for Eels is number 14 Makahesi Makatoa
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Interchange for Sharks is number 15 Siosifa TalakaiInterchange for Eels is number 16 Ray Stone
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Interchange for Sharks is number 17 Andrew FifitaInterchange for Eels is number 17 Nathan Brown
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Interchange for Sharks is number 19 Cameron McInnesInterchange for Eels is number 18 Jake Arthur
Reserves
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Replacement for Sharks is number 5 Matt IkuvaluReplacement for Eels is number 15 Bryce Cartwright
Match Officials
- Referee: Peter Gough
- Touch Judge: Liam Kennedy
- Touch Judge: Nick Beashel
- Senior Review Official: Matt Noyen
Last updated:
Key match-up
Nicho Hynes v Mitch Moses: The former Storm man will be a work in progress for some weeks yet as he settles into life in the halves but such is his skill level that there seems little doubt he'll be a success at halfback. The Eels' general has matured into an elite playmaker and his kicking game is the centrepiece of Parramatta's game plan. Moses had three try assists and two line break assists in a frenetic first half against the Titans while Hynes ran for 123 metres and had one try assist and one line break assist against the Raiders.
Stat attack
The Sharks lost seven games by eight points or less last season and found themselves on the wrong end of another close scoreline in Canberra last week. Matt Moylan put them up by a point with seven minutes to play but the Sharks were unable to grip on and the two competition points went begging.
