The Sharks host the Storm in the opening clash of Round 17 in the NRL this Thursday night from Pointsbet Stadium. The action gets underway at 7.50pm and as usual, Greg Davis has his full preview and NRL betting tips below.
Sharks vs Storm Betting Tips
Thursday 7th July, PoinstBet Stadium, Sydney, 7.50pm (AEST)
Squads
Sharks
1.Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Connor Tracey 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. Aiden Tolman 15. Cameron McInnes 16. Teig Wilton 17. Andrew Fifita 18. Braydon Trindall 19. Jesse Colquhoun 20. Kade Dykes 21. Braden Hamlin-Uele 22. Lachlan Miller
Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Dean Ieremia 3. Marion Seve 4. Justin Olam 5. Grant Anderson 6. Nick Meaney 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Brandon Smith 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Chris Lewis 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Josh King 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Alec MacDonald 17. Jordan Grant 18. Bronson Garlick 19. Young Tonumaipea 20. Jack Howarth 21. Jayden Nikorima 22. Tyson Smoothy
Match Prediction
IT will be wet, it will be close and it will be fierce. That much is a certainty when Cronulla host Melbourne on Thursday night.
But which top four team emerges triumphant in this genuine toss of the coin job?
First, the case for the Sharkies.
Cronulla are on a three-game winning streak and are always very hard to beat at home (6-2 this year and 151-116 overall).
The Sharks have lost blockbusting centre Siosifa Talakai to the Blues for the Origin decider after he beat Jack Wighton for a place on the NSW bench. Connor Tracey comes into the centres for Cronulla.
This contest is the start of a tough run for the Sharks with the Cowboys, Penrith, Souths and the Dragons to follow in the month after taking on the Storm.
New coach Craig Fitzgibbon has got his side winning gritty and pretty in 2022 to be sitting inside the top four with halfback Nicho Hynes having a breakout season since switching from the Storm.
Ex-Melbourne backrower Dale Finucane has given the Sharks great leadership and toughness with Cronulla certainly benefitting from their astute off-season purchases of Storm IP.
These two teams have built-up a spicy rivalry dating back to before the 2016 grand final when the Sharks pipped the Storm in a drought-breaking victory.
If they are going to dig in at the rain-sodden Shark Park and fight the good fight against anybody, it’s the Storm. If Melbourne are going to board their flight south on Friday with the two premiership points, they would have earned it.
The Storm won’t have the Origin trio of Cam Munster, Harry Grant and Felise Kaufusi but Ryan Papenhuyzen is back in the no.1 jersey with Melbourne’s contingent of Kiwi Test stars all on board. They don’t lose much with Brandon Smith starting at hooker instead of Grant while halfback Jahrome Hughes will have a big say in this result.
Jayden Nikorima has been dropped after the loss to Manly last week with the very versatile Nick Meaney shifting from wing to five-eighth.
Melbourne mastercoach Craig Bellamy delivered an all-time spray to his troops after falling to the Sea Eagles. And history tells us that they normally work and work well.
The Storm’s all-time winning percentage is 65 percent. That means they don’t lose many matches in a row. They are three wins behind Penrith on the ladder and can’t afford another loss if they want to win the minor premiership.
This will be a wet and wild affair after all the rain that has hit Sydney so it will be low scoring with a touch of class here and there proving to be the difference.
That suggests the Storm to win, but only just.
Under 37.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
