The Sharks are rolling towards September full of confidence and they'll look to pile on another big score against the Bulldogs in Round 24.
The well-oiled Cronulla machine has piled on 100 points in the past three weeks and with Nicho Hynes in sublime touch there's no reason to think their for-and-against won't get a big boost in the final two rounds.
The Bulldogs have shown some good signs since Michael Potter took over in Round 11 but in the past three weeks they have conceded 112 points and look to be limping towards the finish line.
When the two sides met in Round 16 it was the Sharks prevailing 18-6 in atrocious conditions at CommBank Stadium.
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The Rundown
Team news
Sharks: Kayal Iro will make his NRL debut on the wing and Cameron McInnes will start after Dale Finucane and Matt Ikuvalu dropped out on Friday. The new man on the bench is Braydon Trindall. Powerhouse centre Siosifa Talakai is back from a shoulder injury but Connor Tracey is out after suffering his second concussion of the season against Manly. Teig Wilton returns on the bench after missing Round 23 due to illness.
Bulldogs: With Luke Thompson out after the club reported on Thursday he had tested positive to COVID, Joe Stimson starts at lock. Joshua Stuckey comes on to the bench for his NRL debut. Josh Jackson has moved from lock to second row and Tevita Pangai has been dropped. Chris Patolo is the new man on the bench.
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Key match-up
Royce Hunt v Paul Vaughan: A couple of old school enforcers who love to mix it up with their rival front-rowers. Hunt has cranked up the intensity in the past fortnight with 226 running metres and 11 tackle breaks. As his game time increases he'll have an even bigger impact on the contest. Vaughan has played every game for the Bullodgs and added steel to the pack with his hard running and ability to find an offload. The early battle in the middle should be a beauty and Hunt and Vaughan will be in the thick of the action.
Stat Attack
Josh Addo-Carr has chalked up 16 tries in 20 games this season to sit fourth behind Alex Johnston, Corey Oates and Jeremiah Nanai on the tryscoring list. 'The Fox' has two hat-tricks for the season, against the Eels in Round 14 and Titans in Round 19, as well as three doubles. In his last 42 NRL games he has scored 39 tries.
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