NRL Round 21 Cronulla Sharks v Penrith Panthers Preview

The Sharks are in a very dangerous position at the moment and there are several other teams in the competition that are circling them hoping that they slip up very soon (if they haven't already). They are definitely on a slide of some sort and need to get back on track as soon as possible otherwise they will find themselves out of the Top 8. They suffered a very embarrassing defeat at home which caused their home fans to leave 10-15 minutes before the final whistle. But they have their fair share of injuries and are still in the midst of a crisis. It will be important that they have players back playing as soon as possible, its even gotten to the point where Gallen has said he would make an early return from injury if it would help his side. It looks like he will be doing that this week and fingers crossed for Sharks fans that he doesn't make his injury worse. The Panthers on the other hand are out of contention and are rebuilding towards next season. It is going fairly well for them following a win over the Roosters but they do need to keep moving forward to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon. With Parramatta having a surprise win over the Storm, it left the Panthers a lot of work to do on Sunday and to their credit, they got the job done. It is an interesting side note that Luke Lewis, a Panthers hero, was to play at his future home ground after asking for an early release from the Panthers and signing with the Sharks. But unfortunately he has been ruled out and Sharks fans will not get a first hand look at what he has to offer. Whilst this clash probably won't be the most exciting game this weekend, it will be extremely important to the Sharks and their fans in getting their season back on track and readying themselves for the finals. But other NRL teams in and around the Sharks vying for a spot in the Top 8 will be hoping that they slip up.

Cronulla Sharks

If there is one thing a team needs when they're on a slide, it is the inclusion of two representative stars. One is the best player in the game and one is a leader for the NZ international team. So Paul Gallen is into the team for Wade Graham who is being rested after coping a knock to a pre existing rib injury and Jeremy Smith is in at the expense of Anthony Tupou who moves back to the bench. Ben Pomeroy is out and taking his sport in the centres is Ricky Leutele who replaced Colin Best in the game against the Roosters a few weeks ago. They're the only changes to the starting side but there is also an extended bench of six named and it remains a mystery as to who will miss out. The main thing the Sharks will aim to gain back in this match is definitely momentum. They're at their best when they're high on confidence and continually bruising the opposition in defence. That has evaded them in recent weeks. Defence is all about attitude and the Sharks need to get their old one back as it had them dominating opponents.

Penrith Panthers

Unfortunately, the Panther will be without a host of players, but none of them is more important than Luke Lewis. His spot at lock is taken by Nigel Plum who is great in defence but a far cry from Lewis. That is not the only change as the Panthers have a host of changes from the win over the Roosters. Josh Mansour has shifted back from the wing to fullback and his wing spot is taken by Eut Uaisele. Mansour moved there as Lachlan Coote was shifted up into 5/8 to cover for Travis Burns. That requires a few new faces on an extended bench including Ryan Simpkins and Danny Galea. Who knows what the future holds in terms of the switch of Coote from fullback to 5/8. The Raiders tried it this season with Dugan and it didn't work all too well. Coote and Dugan are very similar players and grew up in the same representatives sides. So what do the Panthers lose? A capable fullback for him to be an adequate 5/8? He is definitely a capable ball player but it will be a different kettle of fish this week as he is in charge, along with Luke Walsh, with directing the team around the park and ensuring his outside backs get early ball to create opportunities for themselves.


Recent History
Overall = Sharks 41 - Draw 3 - Panthers 36
Last 5 games = Sharks 2 - Panthers3
At Toyota Stadium = Sharks 24 - Draw 3 - Panthers 13

Odds

TAB Sportsbet = Sharks $1.40 Panthers $3.00
Centrebet = Sharks $1.45 Panthers $2.85
Sportsbet = Sharks $1.45 Panthers $2.80
Betfair = Sharks $1.41 Panthers $2.94


Verdict
If you were betting on form of these two teams in the last few weeks you would find it surprising to see the Panthers as outsiders. They knocked up a victory last week and then the week before they were gallant in defeat against the Tigers. Whilst the Sharks have appeared to struggle against lesser opponents. But the quality of player that is returning for Cronulla and the players missing for the Panthers certainly throw this game back in favour of the Sharks. They're also at home and will look to improve on their dominate home record against the Panthers. There isn't really any better game in the run home for the Sharks to play themselves back into some form. That isn't suggesting that the Panthers will give up easily. A lot of players there are uncertain about their futures and if they want to stay at the club, they will be making sure that they are doing everything possible on the field to ensure they get a win or at least stay competitive for the full 80 minutes.

Suggested Bet
Sharks 1-12 @ $3


Line call = Sharks -3.5 @ $1.80 - Again this weekend we are seeing a game that offers a fairly small line. You would think that with the Sharks at home and Penrith's inability to produce points at certain points of the match would ensure that this line is covered.


Combine the two... = Sharks 7-12 @ $5.50 - If you combine the two bets listed above, all signs point to this option for some value. I believe that they will win the game but not by 13+. They are favourites to get through this game easily and rack up some points but I wouldn't be so sure. 


Good luck!
Scooby
@scoobystips