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Match Preview

Sharks v Bulldogs: Talakai time; Thompson late withdrawal

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pan66.com
Timestamp

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.

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 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.

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Sharks is number 1 Lachlan Miller
    Fullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Jake Averillo
  • Winger for Sharks is number 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
    Winger for Bulldogs is number 2 Jacob Kiraz
  • Centre for Sharks is number 3 Jesse Ramien
    Centre for Bulldogs is number 3 Aaron Schoupp
  • Centre for Sharks is number 4 Siosifa Talakai
    Centre for Bulldogs is number 4 Braidon Burns
  • Winger for Sharks is number 21 Kayal Iro
    Winger for Bulldogs is number 5 Josh Addo-Carr
  • Five-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Matt Moylan
    Five-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Matt Burton
  • Halfback for Sharks is number 7 Nicholas Hynes
    Halfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Kyle Flanagan

Forwards

  • Prop for Sharks is number 8 Braden Hamlin-Uele
    Prop for Bulldogs is number 8 Max King
  • Hooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke Brailey
    Hooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Jeremy  Marshall-King
  • Prop for Sharks is number 10 Royce Hunt
    Prop for Bulldogs is number 10 Paul Vaughan
  • 2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Briton Nikora
    2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 11 Josh Jackson
  • 2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Wade Graham
    2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Raymond  Faitala-Mariner 
  • Lock for Sharks is number 15 Cameron McInnes
    Lock for Bulldogs is number 15 Joe Stimson

Interchange

  • Interchange for Sharks is number 14 Teig Wilton
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Zach Dockar-Clay 
  • Interchange for Sharks is number 16 Aiden Tolman
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 16 Harrison Edwards
  • Interchange for Sharks is number 17 Andrew Fifita
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 17 Chris Patolo
  • Interchange for Sharks is number 18 Braydon Trindall
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 25 Joshua Stuckey

Reserves

  • Replacement for Sharks is number 22 Luke Metcalf
    Replacement for Bulldogs is number 22 Kurtis Morrin

Match Officials

  • Referee: Todd Smith
  • Touch Judge: Matt Noyen
  • Senior Review Official: Chris Butler

Last updated:

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.

Related

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.