Sparks are expected to fly when Cronulla and St George Illawarra meet to close out Round 9 with another fiery local derby to be played out at PointsBet Stadium.
The Sharks are riding high after making it four-straight with a dominant 40-0 win over the Raiders in Canberra on the back of another Nicho Hynes masterclass on Sunday.
Craig Fitzgibbon's men showed no signs of mental fatigue despite being shocked by the loss of five-eighth Braydon Trindall (stood down) and skipper Dale Finucane (medical retirement) throughout the week and flexed their muscles as serious premiership contenders this season.
For the Dragons meanwhile, 1st v 11th looks like a total mismatch on paper, but the Red V have everything to play for in this year's Southern Sydney showdown with Shane Flanagan returning to Cronulla for the first time as opposition coach.
The Dragons were in arguably some of their best form in recent seasons, having won four of their opening eight matches but will be desperate to bounce back from their record 60-18 ANZAC Day thumping to the Roosters.
History points in favour of the Sharks who have won the last seven straight derbies but the Dragons have showed their capable of an upset this season after downing both Manly and the Warriors in recent weeks.
Sportsbet Betting Preview - Sharks v Dragons
Team News
Sharks: No late changes for the home side. Toby Rudolf comes back in on the bench after recovering from a quadricep injury at the expense of Tuku Hau Tapuha. Daniel Atkinson will feature alongside Nicho Hynes in the halves after a strong showing last week. Mawene Hiroti is 18th man.
Dragons: Shane Flanagan has reshuffled his forward pack on game day with Blake Lawrie shifting to lock, Tom Eisenhuth to the edge and Ray Faitala-Mariner to the bench. Zac Lomax shifts into the centres for Moses Suli (concussion) partnering Jack Bird for his 150th match. Michael Molo is 18th man.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Stat Attack
- The Sharks have won their past seven games against the Dragons.
- The Dragons have not won at PointsBet Stadium since 2018.
- The Sharks scored 92 points in two games against the Dragons in 2023.
- Dragons centre Jack Bird will play his 150th NRL game.
- Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has scored 32 tries in 28 games at PointsBet Stadium.
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com