Prelim finals week is here in the NRL! After a couple of great semi final matchups on the weekend, two monster prelims have been set up! See our preview and tips for the Friday night blockbuster between the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks set to kick off at 7.40pm below!
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks (Friday, Sep 21 7:40pm AEST)
Melbourne will host the Sharks in the first Preliminary final at AAMI Park on Friday night. This will be a re-match of the 2016 Grand Final and it’s always a tight affair when these two sides meet.
The Storm come into this final on the back of a week off after a stunning comeback win over the Rabbitohs at this venue. In a high scoring game, Cameron Munster nailed a field goal in the dying stages to give the Storm a 29-28 victory. They’re now just one win away from defending their 2017 title and an impressive 3rd straight Grand Final appearance. The storyline in this one will be again, Billy Slater. It will be last appearance in front of the Melbourne faithful and the boys should be keen to send him off a winner. In team news, Melbourne will be boosted by 2 important ins. Will Chambers returns in the centres after suspension. His defence on the outside edges will be a key to watch. While in the forward pack, Nelson Asofa-Solomona is back in the lineup and ready to take on the Sharks forward pack.
Last week, Cronulla survived a late comeback by the Panthers to secure their place in this final. Matt Moylan was fantastic against his former side and early tries to Townsend/Holmes setup the win. In the end, Chad Townsend nailed a field goal to end the Panthers season with a 21-20 result. They will head to Melbourne with a few injury concerns. Paul Gallen has a sore shoulder, but I highly doubt he’ll miss this clash. Josh Dugan is a chance to return and his experience could be bonus for the Sharks. Overall this season, Cronulla has been a good road team as they’ve won 4 of 6 interstate. So the trip to Melbourne shouldn’t be a concern.
In 2018, they’ve met twice with the Sharks taking the Storm down on both occasions. In Round 4 at Shark Park, a penalty fest saw the Sharks take home the 2 points in a 14-4 victory. Then in Round 22, the Sharks travelled to Melbourne and upset the Storm 17-14. The odds are saying Melbourne should win this comfortably and have given the Sharks an 8 point line to beat. I do find the line interesting for this game given the Sharks dominance over the Storm since their 2016 Grand Final victory. Overall, they’ve won 4 of the 5 last meetings. They also don’t mind playing them at AAMI Park with 2 straight victories. But there is a bit more value in the either team to win by 10 or less.
In 6 of the last 7 games between the Storm and Sharks, this bet has saluted. Now, with the added pressure of finals, there’s a high chance this turns into another close affair. Especially since both sides are coming off 1 point victories. Also, the Storm’s last 3 games have fallen under a 10 point margin. While for the Sharks, their two final games so far have also finished under a 10 point margin. In 2018, they’ve recorded a 19-7 record against this bet so it’s always a tough battle when you’re facing this Sharks defence. So in a close finish, I can’t split these two sides at the moment.
Either team by 10 points or less
$2.00
