An electric atmosphere awaits the Sharks and Dragons at a sold-out PointsBet Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the famous rivals face off in the local derby.
Cronulla are sitting atop the ladder and searching for a fifth straight win after dismantling the Raiders 40-0 last start in the nation’s capital.
Having mixed their form with four wins and four losses, St George Illawarra sit outside the top eight. They’re coming off their biggest loss since 2006 – a 60-18 ANZAC Day flogging by the Roosters – but beat the Warriors impressively a week before.
“It’s just fierce; there’s a lot of history behind it,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said when asked about the rivalry between the neighboring clubs.
“I think for any club that has certain rivalries or derbies, these are the games you get excited for. I expect no different tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
“A derby certainly heightens the senses, particularly long-running ones. But it’s also exciting. These are the challenges and games you want to be a part of… I don’t think anyone takes anyone lightly anyway, but certainly the formline can go out the window when someone gets really heightened for the occasion.”
Adding to the usual spice of the contest is the fact Shane Flanagan, the man who guided the Sharks to a maiden title in 2016, is now at the helm of the Dragons and will plot against Cronulla for the first time as a head coach.
Flanagan’s son Kyle will line up at five-eighth for the Dragons, having made his first-grade debut for Cronulla under his dad in 2018, while premiership-winning ex-Shark Jack Bird is set to mark his 150th NRL match wearing the Red V .
On the flip side, inspirational Sharks captain Cameron McInnes has experienced the passion of the derby from both perspectives. The lock was St George Illawarra’s skipper before making the move to the Shire in 2022.
Sunday’s first half could be decisive. The Dragons are yet to lose this season when leading at halftime and haven’t won after trailing, while the Sharks lead the competition for points scored (66) in the 20 minutes before the break.
Cronulla have had the wood on St George Illawarra in recent times, winning nine of the past 10 battles including seven in a row.
The boys in the black, white and blue enjoyed two resounding victories last year, triumphing 40-8 in Round 4 and 52-16 at home in Round 18.
Star Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes was instrumental on both occasions, kicking a whopping eight goals and scoring a try in the most recent derby.
Leading the Dally M Medal count, Hynes will aim to continue his golden form in what is the Sharks’ inaugural Mental Fitness Round.
A passionate mental health advocate, Hynes has helped bring the initiative to life alongside Gus Worland and the team at Gotcha4Life to encourage open conversations, asking for help and supporting others.
“I feel like it’s such a perfect way to get the message out about mental fitness. I’m just really excited to see where it can get to,” Hynes said.
In team news, Fitzgibbon has named prop Toby Rudolf to return from a minor quadriceps injury on the bench at the expense of mountain man Tuku Hau Tapuha, who has been omitted from the 24-hour squad along with Billy Burns and Sam Stonestreet. The trio played for the Newtown Jets on Saturday.
Mawene Hiroti has replaced Hau Tapuha as 18th man.
Rudolf’s expected comeback after missing the last-start win over Canberra is the only change to the 17th, with Daniel Atkinson to continue his halves partnership with Hynes after starting for the first time at NRL level in Round 8.
The only way to secure a last-minute ticket to the game is via our Member seat resale option. The Ticketek page will show if and when tickets become available.
See the updated 19-man team lists below.
Kick-off is at 4.05pm, with TV coverage on Nine, Nine Now, Foxtel and Kayo.
