Two traditional rivals close out round 9 of the NRL Premiership, as the Dragons head south to the shire to take on the table topping Cronulla Sharks. Whilst the Sharks have been flying high all season, the Dragons have been one of the more puzzling teams all year, which could lead to a cracking game of football on Sunday afternoon, if the Dragons come to play.
Below, we will dissect the matchup, supply our Best Bet, and suggest a Same Game Multi. Be sure to head over to our NRL Tips page, as we preview every single game all season long, for free!
Also, if you’re new to sports betting or betting on the NRL, check out the following articles to help build your knowledge:
- Guide to Betting on the NRL
- Where to Bet on the NRL
- Factors to Consider When Betting on the NRL
2024 NRL Round 9 Preview & Betting Tips
Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons
PointsBet Stadium, Sunday 5th May, 4:05pm (AEST)
Last Week
The Sharks won their fourth in a row last week, putting on a near perfect display in our Nation’s Capital, slamming the Raiders 40-0. This just a week after dismantling the Cowboys 42-6, it’s hard not to be impressed by the Sharks right now. The Sharks ran for a staggering 2061 metres, made 9 line-breaks, whilst missing just 22 tackles in their demolition of the Raiders last week. Halfback Nicho Hynes seized control of the team, with a try, line-break, two try assists, three line-break assists, 25 tackles and 202 running metres in as complete a display as I can remember.
As for the Dragons, they continued their Jekyll and Hyde start to the season, as they were absolutely destroyed on ANZAC Day, 60-18 by the Roosters. The Dragons only managed to run for 1239 metres, whilst missing a whopping 50 tackles and conceding 9 line-breaks. There wasn’t much to hang their hats on, with Ben Hunt having one of the worst games I can recall seeing from him in many years. A huge turnaround is needed this week if the Dragons are to have a chance at beating the Sharks.
Match Preview
These teams met twice last season, with the Sharks continuing their recent domination of the rivalry with two massive victories. In round 4, the Sharks were 6.5-point favourites on the road at Kogarah, covering the spread with ease as they ran out 40-8 winners. The game was tight at the half hour mark (Dragons 8-6), before the Sharkies ran in six unanswered tries to win easily. In round 18, it was more of the same from the Sharks, as they ran all over the Dragons at home, winning 52-16 as 18.5-point favourites. The Sharks have won the past 7 games in the series, by an average margin of 16.5 points.
The Sharks opened 13.5-point favourites for this round 9 matchup, with the Dragons taking on some money during the week, pushing the number down to 12.5. I’m not quite sure why this has moved back towards the Dragons, unless there is some injury news we aren’t aware of, or the fact the weather might torpedo the Sharks’ attack somewhat. Regardless, I see value in the Sharks and can’t see them taking the foot off the gas against their old rivals here this weekend.
The total opened 45.5 and has been bet down slightly to 44.5. This, I would imagine, would be down to the poor weather in Sydney over the weekend. I make a fair total 45.5, so I see no value here in the total. I would lean towards the over, based on the Sharks’ attack the past few weeks, but the Dragons have shown that their defence can be stingy when they aim up.
So, the best bet this week will be for the Sharks to keep on rolling and win by margin on Sunday afternoon at home.
Sharks 13+
$1.95 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
R Mulitalo (2+ tries) – The Dragons right edge defence is horrible, and with one of the best finishers in the league on their left side, expect the Sharks to pepper that side of the field all game.
Sharks (-12.5) – As above.
SGM Odds: $4 at Bet365
