VENUE & TIME: Leichhardt Oval, Saturday, July 31, 7.30pm (AEST)
COVERAGE: Fox Sports
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 18 – Tigers 12, Sharks 5, Drawn 1.
LAST TIME: Round 23, 2009 – Tigers 56-10.
WALKING WOUNDED: The Tigers get three frontline troop members back – Gareth Ellis, Wade McKinnon and Beau Ryan. Even though they won two games in his absence, the Tiges have really missed the sting Ellis provides in defence and his attacking work on the edges. The Sharks will go in with the same side as last week, brave lock Paul Gallen continuing to play on despite a painful rib problem. Without him, Cronulla's plight would be far worse than it already is.
FORM: The Tigers wish they could play the Sharkies every week of the season. Then again, most teams do. It's 10 wins from the last 11 meetings for the Tigers and there is no suggestion the trend will end here. Yes, last week's loss to Manly was a concern but before that Tim Sheens' team had strung together seven wins from eight to creep into the top four. The wily old coach knows defeat to the Sea Eagles is not the end of the world. A loss to Cronulla at home, however, would have him in the foetal position under Leichhardt's old grandstand. It's four losses in a row and counting for the Sharks
WHO'S HOT: Tigers lock Chris Heighington continues to rack up impressive stats, pushing Paul Gallen and Corey Parker in the hit up/runs columns for forwards. His overall workrate is astonishing and he'll relish having a fellow hard worker in Gareth Ellis back in the pack. History shows that a new coach is far more likely to taste success in his second game in charge rather than first up. That will give Sharks boss Shane Flanagan some small comfort as he plots Cronulla's course following his first full week at the helm. That they had a crack for him against Canberra last start was promising but 'Flanno' knows notches in the win column are the only thing that counts. The last thing he wants going into 2011 is a 0-7 record hanging over his head.
WE THINK: The Tigers could rack up a really big scoreline here if the Sharks aren't careful. The Tigers will be in the mood for revenge after an ordinary display against the Sea Eagles and love playing against the team from the Shire. The end of another miserable season can't come quickly enough for Cronulla but at least there are encouraging signs the players will have a dig over the next six weeks. The visitors will stay in the contest for a while but the Tigers should clear out to a comfortable victory.Tigers by 22
TEAMS:
Tigers: Wade McKinnon, Lote Tuqiri, Blake Ayshford, Chris Lawrence, Beau Ryan, Benji Marshall, Robert Lui, Todd Payten, Robbie Farah [c], Keith Galloway, Liam Fulton, Gareth Ellis, Chris Heighington.
Interchange: Andrew Fafita, Geoff Daniela, Simon Dwyer, Bryce Gibbs.
Sharks: Nathan Gardner, Luke Covell, Dean Collis, Ben Pomeroy, Isaac Gordon, Trent Barrett [c], Scott Porter, Kade Snowden, John Morris, Luke Douglas, Grant Millington, Anthony Tupou, Paul Gallen.
Interchange: Josh Cordoba, Broderick Wright, Paul Aiton, Taulima Tautai, Tim Smith (one to be omitted).