2015 Round 1 SHARKS V RAIDERS

[TITAN PETE]

SHARKS V RAIDERS - SUN 8 MAR, 6:30PM (AEDT), REMONDIS STADIUM

Sharks
1 Michael Gordon
2 Sosaia Feki
3 Gerard Beale
4 Ricky Leutele
5 Mitch Brown
6 Ben Barba
7 Jeff Robson
8 Andrew Fifita
9 Michael Ennis
10 Matt Prior
11 Jayson Bukuya
12 Wade Graham
13 Paul Gallen (c)

Interchange
14 Chris Heighington
15 Tinirau Arona
16 Anthony Tupou
17 David Fifita
18 Valentine Holmes
19 Jack Bird

Coach: Shane Flanagan


Raiders
1 Jack Wighton
2 Sisa Waqa
3 Jarrod Croker (c)
4 Edrick Lee
5 Jordan Rapana
6 Blake Austin
7 Mitchell Cornish
8 David Shillington
9 Josh Hodgson
10 Dane Tilse
11 Josh Papalii
12 Sia Soliola
13 Shaun Fensom

Interchange
14 Josh McCrone
15 Frank-Paul Nuuausala
16 Paul Vaughan
17 Shannon Boyd

Coach: Ricky Stuart

[TITAN PETE]

Sharks v Raiders preview

Thu 05 Mar, 2015, 11:30am
By Chris Kennedy, National Correspondent, NRL.com



Cronulla Sharks v Canberra Raiders
Remondis Stadium
Sunday 6.30pm

An intriguing match-up looms down in the Shire this Sunday evening between two sides who ended up occupying the bottom two rungs on the ladder at the end of last season, but have plenty of reasons to be more optimistic about the year ahead.

The home side in particular are boosted by the return of an avalanche of crucial players from injury and suspension; Kangaroos forwards Paul Gallen and Andrew Fifita in particular played just nine and 12 games respectively. The side has also gained the prized signatures of 2012 Dally M medalist Ben Barba and Canterbury's 2014 captain Michael Ennis.

Regaining coach Shane Flanagan as well as a general sense of normalcy from the ashes of a season ruined by the ASADA fallout will also be a massive boon. The injuries haven't quite dried up though, with representative back-rower Luke Lewis absent to start the season.

The Raiders' season didn't quite reach the depths of Cronulla's woes last year but until a late-season win over the Sharks, the Green Machine were level pegging in the wooden spoon race.

A late three-game winning streak averted that ignominy and two of the key players from that run – rookie halfback Mitch Cornish and makeshift fullback Jack Wighton – will reprise those roles alongside new five-eighth and ex-Tiger Blake Austin and English Test rake Josh Hodgson.

A new-look back row also boasts internationals Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Sia Soliola, as well as regular lock Shaun Fensom who has somehow shaken off a knee reconstruction from late last season to take his place for Round 1.

Other players to watch from both sides include ex-Storm flyer Sisa Waqa on the wing in his first game in green, and ex-Bulldog Mitch Brown on one flank for Cronulla keeping young guns Valentine Holmes and Jack Bird out of the 17.

And if you need an extra reason to head to the footy on a balmy Sunday evening in early March, public transport costs are included in the price of the ticket, and the Sharks are offering a free shuttle service from local train stations.

Watch out Sharks: There are a few danger spots for Cronulla come Sunday evening but the bruising new-look back row of the Green Machine – which features rejuvenated hitman Josh Papalii back in his preferred position and Kiwi wrecking ball Nuuausala on the bench, while St Helens premiership winner Sia Soliola returns to the NRL – after leaving the Roosters as a centre – as a hard working forward and genuine leader around the team. Cronulla have one of the best packs in the NRL on paper but they'll need to have done their homework. We're sure Paul Gallen remembers that Josh Papalii packs a punch.

Watch out Raiders: the Sharks have threats all over the park but one man the Raiders will be keeping a close eye on is Broncos discard Ben Barba, who no doubt has a point to prove. We all saw his attacking potential in his stunning 2012 Dally M year and despite a few good games for Brisbane – between stints at five-eighth and fullback – he never hit the heights he'd have been hoping for. With a potent pack to lay a platform and Jeff Robson controlling things at halfback it could create just the right environment for Barba to return to his attacking best.

Key Match-Up: Paul Gallen v Josh Papalii. There are intriguing positional match-ups everywhere you look but in terms of a grudge match we can't go past Gallen and Papalii. A young Papalii virtually made his name by flattening Gal in a club game but Gallen has twice, after being laid out by the young Raider, objected to the lateness of the hit. After an up and down year in which he dropped down to Queensland Cup before returning to the Kangaroos, Papalii could have a point to prove against one of his favourite opponents; we're tipping early fireworks.

The History: Played 61; Sharks 33, Raiders 29. Not much between them historically, and the past 10 are split five apiece. Not only that, the past 10 at this venue are also split five apiece. No help here for the tipsters among us.

What Are The Odds: Sharks $1.42, Raiders $2.90. The Sharks have seen more than seven times the money that the Raiders have, and even at a line of -7.5 there has been little interest in the visitors. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

Match Officials: Gavin Morris & Alan Shortall; touch judges Nick Beashel & David Ryan; Video Referees: Matt Cecchin & Luke Patten.

Televised: Fox Sports, Live, 6.30pm.

The Way We See It: We're not prepared to completely write off the Raiders but away from home, early in the season, and given Cronulla's great form at the Auckland Nines and potent forward pack, we're leaning towards the home side. Sharks by 10.

[Titan4Life]

Ladies and gentleman punches have been thrown! Feki and Wighton sent to the bin.

18-18 with 20 to go.

[TITAN PETE]

Great win by the Raiders a lot of skill shown apart from getting binned for fighting his 1st half Witton was excellent & showed what an exciting fullback can do

[TITAN PETE]

Sharks v Raiders: Five Key Points

Mon 09 Mar, 2015, 7:00am
By Chris Kennedy, National Correspondent, NRL.com


The Canberra Raiders held on to defeat the Cronulla Sharks in a highly entertaining and sometimes spiteful encounter at Remondis Stadium. Here is five key points from the Round 1 clash.

Mitch Cornish's kicking game will be an asset

Young halfback Mitch Cornish produced a series of quality kicks under pressure that may have gone largely unnoticed, but without the Junior Kangaroo's efforts the Raiders probably wouldn't have been able to earn the start they did. Cornish gave veteran Sharks fullback Mick Gordon a tough night; an early towering bomb came down a metre and a half in front of the Sharks' line, allowing the chasers to barrel Gordon back in goal for a drop out. A downfield kick in the 11th minute after a strong defensive set by Cronulla split the fullback and his winger allowing Canberra to get back into the grind. And a 39th minute kick under incredible pressure found the turf and bounced away past Gordon, turning an outstanding defensive set from the Sharks into a so-so one. Cornish will only get better the more he plays.

Ben Barba's kicking game needs work

Ben Barba made his name as a fullback and although he spent plenty of time at five-eighth at Brisbane last year, he's still very much a work in progress as a playmaker. He put an early touch-finder out on the full by several metres and what was meant to be a probing kick towards the Raiders in-goal in the 27th-minute from barely 20 metres out almost sailed dead on the full. It would actually have been better for the Sharks if the ball had sailed into the crowd because it was marked by Raiders fullback Jack Wighton who raced out to the 20 for a quick tap, jinked through some non-existent defence and streaked 80 metres to score. Barba did throw a quality pass for a second half try and after the game both his coach Shane Flanagan as well as senior man Mick Ennis backed the pivot to have better games for the club in coming weeks.

"I think he'll have better [games] for the club that's for sure. He got off to a bad start. He passed [to set up] a try too, he'll be better for the run," Flanagan said at the post-match press conference.

You just can't punch anyone. Full stop.

Like it or loathe it, you can't throw a punch in the NRL in 2015. There was plenty of conjecture about whether Sharks winger Sosaia Feki deserved to cool his heels for 10 minutes after being on the wrong end of a Jack Wighton haymaker and throwing an attempted jab in return. A pragmatic Flanagan was confused as to what was expected of Feki in that situation but refused to suggest it had an impact on the game's outcome.

"It was a bit strange, he pushed [Wighton] and there was a bit of retaliation. Sosaia Feki, he's a good kid, what's he supposed to do? The other bloke punched him in the head.

"He's got to look after himself. I don't hold anything against Sosaia there. We don't want fighting in our game but I don't think too many fans will be turned away by that.

"He got sin-binned for retaliating, it wasn't the turning point of the game and we'll get on with it."

Like it or not, rules are rules and everyone knows them. If you throw a punch you will be sent to the sin-bin. Let's get on with the footy.

Soliola a smoky for buy of the year?

St Helens premiership winner and former Roosters centre Sia Soliola is hardly the highest profile off-season recruit across the NRL, or even at his club with the likes of Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Sisa Waqa joining the Green Machine in the off-season. But the players have been gushing of the leadership Soliola has been showing around the club over the off-season, the new recruit has been doing plenty of talk and mentoring the younger players. And in an understated performance on Sunday night, Soliola made 40 tackles – second in the match only to tackling machine Shaun Fensom – and his 137 metres was the most of any Raider on the night other than runaway fullback Jack Wighton. Soliola played under current Canberra coach Ricky Stuart for a time at Bondi and his recruitment from St Helens at this early stage looks an astute one.

Both coaches have some thinking to do

Ricky Stuart sprung a surprise over the weekend, dumping veteran Dave Shillington and young man-mountain Shannon Boyd to Mounties while calling up Jarrad Kennedy and handing an NRL debut to promising youngster Luke Bateman. Both are back-rowers, meaning Josh Papalii had to shift to his less-preferred front row position (ignore the team-sheet suggesting Soliola was used at prop). Bateman was kept on ice until late in the piece and bench hooker Josh McCrone was also hardly used. Bateman is clearly being eased into grade footy, but can the Raiders afford to hardly use two bench players across 80 minutes or is there a better option? For the Sharks, winger Mitch Brown had a poor error late in the game while young sensation Valentine Holmes had earlier had a run in the Holden Cup. Fellow young gun Jack Bird was also not used and while the forward pack was largely impressive there will be some decisions when the likes of Luke Lewis and Sam Tagataese become available.