In NRL Semifinal Sharks vs Rabbitohs face each other Today, can Cronulla make it three straight victories? Cronulla climbed the standings with a 22-6 thrashing of Newcastle last Friday at Remondis Stadium, their second straight victory. Andrew Fifita led the way with almost 200 meters in rushing and 30 tackles as the forwards laid the groundwork for the victory. Although the hazardous throw penalty against Fifita was reduced, he will still be suspended for two games this season. As a result of David Fifita’s injury, Sam Tagatese will start at prop in his place, while Jayson Bukuya will be moved to the substitutes’ bench.
On Monday night, North Queensland brought the Souths back down to Earth. After taking a 12-4 halftime lead, the Cowboys blew out the Rabbitohs 30-12 thanks to a man-of-the-match performance from Jonathan Thurston for the third time in four games and a gutsy, impressive effort from hooker Jake Granville.
Without Adam Reynolds at the helm, Souths often appeared aimless. They’ll be crossing their fingers that Dylan Walker or John Sutton can come off the bench late in the game to give the Rabbitohs’ offence a boost.
Souths has retained the same starting lineup as last week and added Cameron Mcinnes as an 18th player. Once again, Five-Eighth will fall on the shoulders of Glenn Stewart.
Preview and Prediction of the Sharks vs Rabbitohs Match
When the Sharks and the Rabbitohs square off against one another at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, a berth in the preliminary finals will be at stake. Even though it is a home game for Cronulla, they will get the impression that they are competing in an away game due to the large number of Rabbitohs fans that will be present at Allianz Stadium for the third week in a row.
The Roosters defeated Souths in the final game of the regular season, but they were victorious in the game that mattered, which was one of the roughest contests we’ve seen in recent times, and they reigned supreme as a result.
The Rabbitohs defeated their arch-rivals 30-14 in a match that featured a record seven sin bins. Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker played starring roles for the Rabbitohs. At the same time, Alex Johnston crossed for his ninth double of the season, extending his try total to a total of 30 tries from 24 appearances this season.
The Rabbitohs are nearly impossible to stop when they are playing at their absolute best, and they did an outstanding job of outlasting the Roosters in all departments the week before.
The Sharks, meanwhile, were only fifteen seconds away from securing a bye week and a berth in the preliminary finals, when they would have faced either the Eels or the Raiders.
Instead, they gave up a try in the dying moments of the game, which allowed the Cowboys to steal victory at PointsBet Stadium the previous week. Valentine Holmes kicked a field goal in the 93rd minute.
It is a difficult pill for Cronulla to swallow, as they will now have to follow up their previous performance seven days later with a matchup against one of the most in-form teams in the competition.
Although Craig Fitzgibbon has done an outstanding job in his first season as head coach of the Sharks, the team has failed to win any of their previous four finals matches and will have a tough time winning this one.
VERDICT:
Although the Rabbitohs have won two of the last three times, these sides have competed against one another. The Sharks were victorious in golden point earlier this year.
This time of year is critical for maintaining momentum, but the Sharks were unable to do so due to the circumstances surrounding their loss to the Cowboys the previous week. On the other hand, the Rabbitohs defeated their most significant competitors by delivering one of the finest performances they’ve had all year. The fact that they are based here gives them a significant edge.
It is going to take a monumental effort for the Sharks to get back on track here, so we are going to put our money on Souths advancing to a confrontation with Penrith in the preliminary finals.
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All about & how to watch NRL Match:
- Date: Saturday, September 17
- Time: 8.00pm AEST
- Stadium: Allianz Stadium
- Live On: Fubo Tv (Free trial Available)
Sharks vs Rabbitohs Predictable Lineups
Sharks team: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Connor Tracey 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Dale Finucane 14. Teig Wilton 15. Cameron McInnes 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Andrew Fifita 18. Lachlan Miller 19. Aiden Tolman 20. Braydon Trindall 21. Jesse Colquhoun 22. Mawene Hiroti
Rabbitohs team: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray 14. Kodi Nikorima 15. Hame Sele 16. Michael Chee Kam 17. Siliva Havili 18. Davvy Moale 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Jaxson Paulo 21. Richard Kennar 22. Peter Mamouzelos
The Stats Between Sharks vs Rabbitohs
- Two of the last three matches between these teams have been won by the Rabbitohs.
- The Rabbitohs have been on a roll recently, winning eight of their past eleven matches.
- In each of those eight wins, the Rabbitohs dominated in both halves.
- The Sharks have lost the previous four championship games.
- This season, Alex Johnston has played in 24 games and scored 30 tries.
- Latrell Mitchell crossed the goal line against the Sharks in his previous game and again against the Roosters last week.
- In his last three games, Ronaldo Mulitalo has scored three tries.
Sharks vs Rabbitohs Prediction
Both the Cronulla Sharks and the South Sydney Rabbitohs were in exciting games last week, so this battle for a position in the Preliminary Finals is shaping up to be a real treat. After a match that went to extra time and then golden point, the North Queensland Cowboys defeated the Sharks in the 92nd minute. However, in a match when seven yellow cards were issued, and the Rabbitohs came out on top, they defeated their archrivals, the Sydney Roosters. In their previous meeting this season, the game went to overtime a tie, and a similar score result is anticipated this time around.
