Latest news with #Cronulla
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
SuperCoach NRL trade tips and Buy/Sell analysis for round 16
Second row is the major focus of trades this week after two men who are averaging roughly the same number of SuperCoach points as they have vowels in their names – Haumole Olakau'atu and Keaon Koloamatangi – copping injuries which look set to keep them out of the game for between three to six weeks. Olakau'atu (shoulder) looks set for the full six weeks and as such I have him as an automatic sell. As for Koloamatangi we're still awaiting updates following his scans. Best case scenario appears to be three weeks, worst case five plus. The Rabbitohs have a bye on round 19 (and also in round 26) so even with a 'best case' outcome Koloamatangi looks likely to play seven of the remaining 12 weeks. If we receive positive news from the scans then I suppose a case can be made to hold, but my inclination is to make the most of his tremendous price rise and sell now with an eye to buying back later in the season when the inevitable happens and one of our other gun FRF or 2RF go down with injury. There are a number of replacement options at 2RF and I will go into the pros and cons of each below. The SuperCoach team is as threadbare as the Cronulla backline at the moment with Tom Sangster and Wilson Smith off deck today so I'll need to keep the BUY/SELL analysis brief and may not get to every question in the Q&A – apologies in advance. BUY/SELL ANALYSIS Eliesa Katoa – Melbourne's Mr Reliable, Katoa has scored below 60 just once this season and has scores 70+ in nine of his 12 games. The Storm have served all their byes and thus play all 12 of the remaining rounds. BUY. Erin Clark – Almost as safe as Katoa, Clark took a little while to fin his feet at the Warriors, but since round four (inclusive) he has failed to his 60 just once and has scored 65+ in nine of those ten games and hit triple figures twice in that span. The Warriors do not cover the round 18 big bye which hurts a little and the price is right at its peak but with handy DPP and great base I'm still a BUY here. Hudson Young – The Raiders left edge 2RF is in career-best form and his 10 tries have him equal-third for that stat in the NRL. Averaging 48PPG in base and better than 15PPG in offloads/tackle busts combined there's a lot to like here. However, I prefer those above as Young misses rounds 18 (Origin) and 19 (bye) so while I would love to own him, I feel the time to buy is round 20 onwards. WAIT. Briton Nikora – When the news broke that Sandon Smith had earned a lifeline thanks to Sam Walker's broken thumb I had to make a late change to my trade plans and as a result I brought in Nikora and boy was that a lucky break. The Cronulla edge had his best game of the year with a try, two linebreaks and a passel of offloads/tackle busts all adding up to 108 points. He's not a base stat monster (and is averaging just 38PPG in base this year whereas in the past three seasons he has averaged around 6PPG more in that area) but, like Canberra's Joe Tapine, Nikora has a strong history of averaging significantly better over the back half of a season than the first half so I'm expecting a lift. The Sharks do not cover the round 18 bye which hurts, but the $530K price is still tempting. Not a top-five at his position but certainly capable of sitting in the 6-10th range and that's not bad at his current price. MODERATE BUY Tallis Duncan – South Sydney are dealing with an injury crisis and Tallis Duncan has been a major beneficiary of this. After averaging 47 minutes and 37 points per game over the first eight games of the season Tallis has played the full 80 in each of the past six matches (well he played 70 in round 11 but that's because he spent 10 in the bin) and has averaged 60.3PPG while doing so. His last two weeks have been particularly impressive with scores of 70 (54 in base) against the Raiders and 113 (a try and try assist plus 56 in base) against the Bulldogs. Covering the round 18 bye, and priced at $471K – to which he should add at least $100K over the next three weeks – Tallis could then be sold ahead of his round 19 bye. BUY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PLENTY OF TRADES Jahrome Hughes/Ryan Papenhuyzen – As mentioned above with Katoa, the Storm have served their byes and so provide tremendous cover from here till home. Hughes was immense in round 14 with two tries, two assists and seven tackle busts against the Cowboys and he's going to love playing against that team again in round 18 (when they'll be missing all their Origin players). Not quite as 'safe' as the goalkicking halves, Hughes' lack of byes lifts him into the elite category for sure and he's a decent buy. Papenhuyzen has cooled off a little after a phenomenal start to the season, but still has the second-best average of any fullback and with Souths/Cowboys (less Origin players) and Knights as three of his next four opponents he profiles as a must own. BUYS. Jack Bostock – The Dolphins feasted on the Cowboys last week and Bostock was the major beneficiary with four tries, nine tackle busts and 176 points. I often caution against chasing points and quick cash on wingers as a couple of quiet games (and Bostock has scored 31 points or less five times this year already) quickly puts a halt to money making but this one might be worth a punt. The left edge of the Fins is humming at the moments, Bostock has a BE of -72 (and a score of 50 this week will ensure a negative BE again the following week) and match-ups against the defensively weak Knights then Rabbitohs. Not a keeper and does not cover round 18, but if you have plenty of trades and need a cash boost to get to a keeper then you could do much worse. RISKY BUY. Herbie Farnworth – A freak. He can't keep scoring tries forever – or can he as his teammates seem hell bent on keeping the streak (eight consecutive games with a try) alive. There's no value at this price, but after scoring 150 last week and 105 the week before plus the aforementioned soft short term draw that price is not dropping any time soon. EITHER PAY OVERS OR DO NOT WATCH THE DOLPHINS Jayden Campbell – Bounced back from a quiet round 14 to score 87 points against the Sea Eagles last week and at a really tough position he is one of only two five-eighths to average better than 70PPG (minimum five games). I won't talk anyone out of the buy, but with the Titans missing the round 18 bye and his BE of 106, I do feel that the best time to pick him up is round 19. SOFT BUY. Josiah Karapani – Brought in to replace Selwyn Cobbo in round 14, Karapani made the most of his 14 runs scoring two tries, busting five tackles and accumulating 88 points. Tipped to hold his spot this week I still have him as a watch rather than buy. If named for his third game then he will be the most popular buy of the week, but for now he's a PASS. Nathan Cleary/Nicho Hynes – Am bracketing the duo here as I have both as holds. Cleary is, once again, the top averaging half in the game and Hynes is fourth. With Origin and travel issues Cleary almost certainly does not play round 16 and he does not play round 18 (Origin/bye) which means at best owners will get one game out of him over the next three weeks. But then Penrith face Eels, Souths, Tigers, Titans and Knights. You'll want to own him for those games so any sale now is a two trade move. Hynes does not help in round 18 either – but he does cover 16 and 17 so if you have both then there's just one week (the top-13 scoring round 18 bye) that will see you without a half. The Sharks also have a pretty soft draw over the last seven rounds of the season and Hynes should average 70+ over that period. HOLD Dylan Brown – The Parramatta five-eighth has had a couple of proper stinkers recently scoring 23 against Manly in round 12 and 19 against the Bulldogs in round 14. Suspended this week, leaking cash and no help in round 18 there are plenty of reasons to sell. But, on the other hand the five-eighth slot is a tough one and Brown outside of those poor games Brown scored 60+ in five of his last seven matches. I'm holding, but plenty will sell and that's probably the right move. SELL
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NRL world up in arms as ref blunder sinks Dragons
St George Illawarra have suffered back-to-back defeats after they were overpowered by Cronulla in the local derby on Thursday night, albeit with a slice of controversy. The Dragons had established an 18-6 lead at the break in enemy territory but were swamped by Cronulla in the second stanza, giving up 24 unanswered points. However, despite another loss, it was a controversial late penalty from a kick-off that got Shane Flanagan's goat. Trailing 24-18 with just over eight minutes left, the Dragons appeared to have regained possession thanks to a short kick-off, in a potentially momentum-turning play. But referee Grant Atkins ruled that, even though the player was over the 40-metre line when he batted it back, the ball didn't break the plane. That means in the referee's opinion, the ball didn't travel the required 10 metres, crossing the 40-metre line, and therefore the Sharks were awarded a penalty instead. So rather than the Dragons going on the attack trying to level up the match, they were made to defend their line, it was a decision they never recovered from. The commentators were left stunned by Atkins' call. 'Oh boy, it broke the plane for your life!' Warren Smith said in Fox commentary. You can watch the kick off drama in the player at the top of the page. 'They don't have their challenge, and it can't be overturned. Oh, it broke the plane! That had to have broken the plane.' Michael Ennis agreed with Smith. 'Oh no! Well and truly broke the plane,' Ennis said. 'It looked certain to have broken the plane.' Post-game, Flanagan was fuming with the decision. 'There were some decisions that I was amazed at,' Flanagan said. 'You were watching it (the game) weren't you? There was a kick-off that you should watch again. 'There's a red line there called the 40-metre line and Moses Suli was on the other side of the 40-metre line. You can watch it.' The NRL world was equally stunned by Atkins' error and questioned why the bunker or touch judge didn't overrule him. 'Refs cannot be getting the short kick of penalties wrong …. Why were the touch judges on the 50m line rather than the 40 … let the ref rule on off-side,' one fan wrote. 'The Dragons have every right to feel hard done by there,' another added. 'He's right in line how does he get that wrong? Big turning point. Why do we have touchies' a third said. The loss leaves the Dragons in 12th position on the NRL ladder with five wins and eight losses for the season, meanwhile the Sharks have moved to fifth position with eight wins and six losses.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trindall puts Sharks' season on track in crucial win
Braydon Trindall has helped put Cronulla's NRL season back on track, unleashing 10 minutes of torment on St George Illawarra to inspire a 30-18 come-from-behind win. Off the back of two straight losses and after trailing at halftime, Cronulla went from 18-6 down to 22-18 up between the 47th and 57th minutes on Thursday night. The hosts then did enough to hold on for victory at Shark Park, making it 10 in a row against their arch-rivals and keeping the Sharks fifth on the ladder. Trindall's kicking was at the centre of it all, while the Cronulla five-eighth also scored a double in the victory. Blayke Brailey was among the Sharks' best with his running out of dummy-half, while Sione Katoa bagged a double in the win. The winger's last try to seal the match will also go down as one of the best of the year. With the Dragons down 24-18 with five minutes to play, five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia chipped ahead and went to toe the ball on again. But Katoa slid along the ground to catch the ball goalkeeper-style, before gathering his feet and sprinting 60 metres to score. Katoa races away! 🏁#NRLSharksDragons Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) June 12, 2025 The result makes it two losses in a row for the Dragons, with Shane Flanagan's men now 12th and at risk of sliding further south this weekend. For the Sharks, this was a desperately needed win. Beaten by an undermanned Sydney Roosters in Gosford and travelling Warriors in their past two matches, Cronulla travel to Brisbane and Melbourne in the next fortnight. "It's too big of a picture to look at it like that," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said. "We're where we're at, we haven't performed for a couple of weeks. Even the result today was irrelevant. "It was the performance that was needed. "We needed to see what we want to be and do. We just needed to play like the Sharks, that was the most important thing out of tonight." Cronulla looked at their best with Brailey running out of dummy-half, and the hooker laid on the Sharks' first when he sent Trindall over early. But after that, the Sharks defence began to break. Dragons veteran Damien Cook turned back the clock for one try and King-Togia beat four defenders for another. And when Jack de Belin went over with Sharks centre Jesse Ramien in the sin-bin for a professional foul it was 18-6. Then after the break Cronulla's forwards started to get a roll on, the wind picked up and Trindall chose his moments to terrorise the Dragons. The five-eighth first put Briton Nikora over with a short ball, before staying alive to score from one of his own bombs after Clint Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan failed to defuse it. The go-ahead try then came when Nathan Lawson dropped Trindall's next bomb, and Katoa skipped to the outside of Dragons centre Moses Suli from the scrum to score. "They ran a little harder in the second half, got good field position and all their kicks were contestable," Flanagan said. "You have to make them kick long, and they were all contestable kicks. And we didn't handle the kicks. "There's 12 points, there's the game off two kicks." The only concern for Cronulla came in the form of a calf injury for Mawene Hiroti, just a week after fellow centre KL Iro was ruled out for two months with a pectoral tear.
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Fitzy praises unsung hero
NRL: Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon speaks to the media after their 15 victory against the Dragons.
The Advertiser
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Trindall puts Sharks' season on track in crucial win
Braydon Trindall has helped put Cronulla's NRL season back on track, unleashing 10 minutes of torment on St George Illawarra to inspire a 30-18 come-from-behind win. Off the back of two straight losses and after trailing at halftime, Cronulla went from 18-6 down to 22-18 up between the 47th and 57th minutes on Thursday night. The hosts then did enough to hold on for victory at Shark Park, making it 10 in a row against their arch-rivals and keeping the Sharks fifth on the ladder. Trindall's kicking was at the centre of it all, while the Cronulla five-eighth also scored a double in the victory. Blayke Brailey was among the Sharks' best with his running out of dummy-half, while Sione Katoa bagged a double in the win. The winger's last try to seal the match will also go down as one of the best of the year. With the Dragons down 24-18 with five minutes to play, five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia chipped ahead and went to toe the ball on again. But Katoa slid along the ground to catch the ball goalkeeper-style, before gathering his feet and sprinting 60 metres to score. The result makes it two losses in a row for the Dragons, with Shane Flanagan's men now 12th and at risk of sliding further south this weekend. For the Sharks, this was a desperately needed win. Beaten by an undermanned Sydney Roosters in Gosford and travelling Warriors in their past two matches, Cronulla travel to Brisbane and Melbourne in the next fortnight. "It's too big of a picture to look at it like that," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said. "We're where we're at, we haven't performed for a couple of weeks. Even the result today was irrelevant. "It was the performance that was needed. "We needed to see what we want to be and do. We just needed to play like the Sharks, that was the most important thing out of tonight." Cronulla looked at their best with Brailey running out of dummy-half, and the hooker laid on the Sharks' first when he sent Trindall over early. But after that, the Sharks defence began to break. Dragons veteran Damien Cook turned back the clock for one try and King-Togia beat four defenders for another. And when Jack de Belin went over with Sharks centre Jesse Ramien in the sin-bin for a professional foul it was 18-6. Then after the break Cronulla's forwards started to get a roll on, the wind picked up and Trindall chose his moments to terrorise the Dragons. The five-eighth first put Briton Nikora over with a short ball, before staying alive to score from one of his own bombs after Clint Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan failed to defuse it. The go-ahead try then came when Nathan Lawson dropped Trindall's next bomb, and Katoa skipped to the outside of Dragons centre Moses Suli from the scrum to score. "They ran a little harder in the second half, got good field position and all their kicks were contestable," Flanagan said. "You have to make them kick long, and they were all contestable kicks. And we didn't handle the kicks. "There's 12 points, there's the game off two kicks." The only concern for Cronulla came in the form of a calf injury for Mawene Hiroti, just a week after fellow centre KL Iro was ruled out for two months with a pectoral tear. Braydon Trindall has helped put Cronulla's NRL season back on track, unleashing 10 minutes of torment on St George Illawarra to inspire a 30-18 come-from-behind win. Off the back of two straight losses and after trailing at halftime, Cronulla went from 18-6 down to 22-18 up between the 47th and 57th minutes on Thursday night. The hosts then did enough to hold on for victory at Shark Park, making it 10 in a row against their arch-rivals and keeping the Sharks fifth on the ladder. Trindall's kicking was at the centre of it all, while the Cronulla five-eighth also scored a double in the victory. Blayke Brailey was among the Sharks' best with his running out of dummy-half, while Sione Katoa bagged a double in the win. The winger's last try to seal the match will also go down as one of the best of the year. With the Dragons down 24-18 with five minutes to play, five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia chipped ahead and went to toe the ball on again. But Katoa slid along the ground to catch the ball goalkeeper-style, before gathering his feet and sprinting 60 metres to score. The result makes it two losses in a row for the Dragons, with Shane Flanagan's men now 12th and at risk of sliding further south this weekend. For the Sharks, this was a desperately needed win. Beaten by an undermanned Sydney Roosters in Gosford and travelling Warriors in their past two matches, Cronulla travel to Brisbane and Melbourne in the next fortnight. "It's too big of a picture to look at it like that," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said. "We're where we're at, we haven't performed for a couple of weeks. Even the result today was irrelevant. "It was the performance that was needed. "We needed to see what we want to be and do. We just needed to play like the Sharks, that was the most important thing out of tonight." Cronulla looked at their best with Brailey running out of dummy-half, and the hooker laid on the Sharks' first when he sent Trindall over early. But after that, the Sharks defence began to break. Dragons veteran Damien Cook turned back the clock for one try and King-Togia beat four defenders for another. And when Jack de Belin went over with Sharks centre Jesse Ramien in the sin-bin for a professional foul it was 18-6. Then after the break Cronulla's forwards started to get a roll on, the wind picked up and Trindall chose his moments to terrorise the Dragons. The five-eighth first put Briton Nikora over with a short ball, before staying alive to score from one of his own bombs after Clint Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan failed to defuse it. The go-ahead try then came when Nathan Lawson dropped Trindall's next bomb, and Katoa skipped to the outside of Dragons centre Moses Suli from the scrum to score. "They ran a little harder in the second half, got good field position and all their kicks were contestable," Flanagan said. "You have to make them kick long, and they were all contestable kicks. And we didn't handle the kicks. "There's 12 points, there's the game off two kicks." The only concern for Cronulla came in the form of a calf injury for Mawene Hiroti, just a week after fellow centre KL Iro was ruled out for two months with a pectoral tear. Braydon Trindall has helped put Cronulla's NRL season back on track, unleashing 10 minutes of torment on St George Illawarra to inspire a 30-18 come-from-behind win. Off the back of two straight losses and after trailing at halftime, Cronulla went from 18-6 down to 22-18 up between the 47th and 57th minutes on Thursday night. The hosts then did enough to hold on for victory at Shark Park, making it 10 in a row against their arch-rivals and keeping the Sharks fifth on the ladder. Trindall's kicking was at the centre of it all, while the Cronulla five-eighth also scored a double in the victory. Blayke Brailey was among the Sharks' best with his running out of dummy-half, while Sione Katoa bagged a double in the win. The winger's last try to seal the match will also go down as one of the best of the year. With the Dragons down 24-18 with five minutes to play, five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia chipped ahead and went to toe the ball on again. But Katoa slid along the ground to catch the ball goalkeeper-style, before gathering his feet and sprinting 60 metres to score. The result makes it two losses in a row for the Dragons, with Shane Flanagan's men now 12th and at risk of sliding further south this weekend. For the Sharks, this was a desperately needed win. Beaten by an undermanned Sydney Roosters in Gosford and travelling Warriors in their past two matches, Cronulla travel to Brisbane and Melbourne in the next fortnight. "It's too big of a picture to look at it like that," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said. "We're where we're at, we haven't performed for a couple of weeks. Even the result today was irrelevant. "It was the performance that was needed. "We needed to see what we want to be and do. We just needed to play like the Sharks, that was the most important thing out of tonight." Cronulla looked at their best with Brailey running out of dummy-half, and the hooker laid on the Sharks' first when he sent Trindall over early. But after that, the Sharks defence began to break. Dragons veteran Damien Cook turned back the clock for one try and King-Togia beat four defenders for another. And when Jack de Belin went over with Sharks centre Jesse Ramien in the sin-bin for a professional foul it was 18-6. Then after the break Cronulla's forwards started to get a roll on, the wind picked up and Trindall chose his moments to terrorise the Dragons. The five-eighth first put Briton Nikora over with a short ball, before staying alive to score from one of his own bombs after Clint Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan failed to defuse it. The go-ahead try then came when Nathan Lawson dropped Trindall's next bomb, and Katoa skipped to the outside of Dragons centre Moses Suli from the scrum to score. "They ran a little harder in the second half, got good field position and all their kicks were contestable," Flanagan said. "You have to make them kick long, and they were all contestable kicks. And we didn't handle the kicks. "There's 12 points, there's the game off two kicks." The only concern for Cronulla came in the form of a calf injury for Mawene Hiroti, just a week after fellow centre KL Iro was ruled out for two months with a pectoral tear.
