Netstrata Jubilee Stadium will play host to Sunday's Round 1 NRL game between St George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla Sharks. The game kicks off at 6:30 pm with Cronulla Sharks heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the St George Illawarra Dragons vs. Cronulla Sharks game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Sunday March 14, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Where: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks Odds
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks Preview
The Sharks find themselves as the short-priced favourites on Sunday as they look to open their account with a win against the rival Dragons.
Most pundits have both sides to finish well outside the eight this season, but there is a case to be made for the Sharks exceeding expectations for the second year in a row.
Defensively, Cronulla was a train wreck last year, but this is still a talented lineup full of playmakers on the attacking side of the ball.
Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo were try-scoring machines last year, while head coach John Morris has managed to get the most out of Josh Dugan and Blayke Brailey since taking over back in 2019.
The Dragons, on the other hand, are firmly in the midst of a rebuild that could see them finish as the wooden spooners.
A long list of talent has departed the club during the offseason, namely Euan Aitken, Korbin Sims and Tyson Frizell.
New coach Anthony Griffin has a huge job ahead of him as he looks to put a new system in place and also change the culture, all of which will take time throughout the course of the season.
As far as Sunday’s game goes, it’s really a dart throw.
The Sharks have tendency to play only 40 minutes of football, but if they show up ready, they could easily win this by 13+.
On the other hand, the Dragons kept things close when these two sides met last July, largely thanks to some of Cronulla’s familiar defensive errors.
With all that in mind, a high-scoring game wouldn’t be surprising.
The total has gone over in each of Cronulla’s last 10 away games, so don’t be surprised if we get some points.
Content provided by Ladbrokes
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks Tip
We're tipping St George Illawarra Dragons to win at $2.25 odds.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks Teams
Dragons team: 1 Matt Dufty, 2 Cody Ramsey, 3 Jack Bird, 4 Zac Lomax, 5 Mikaele Ravalawa, 6 Adam Clune, 7 Ben Hunt, 8 Blake Lawrie, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Josh Kerr, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Tyrell Fuimaono 14. Poasa Faamausili 15. Trent Merrin 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Brayden Wiliame
Sharks team: 1 Will Kennedy, 2 Sione Katoa, 3 Josh Dugan, 4 Jesse Ramien, 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6 Matt Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Braden Hamlin-Uele, 9 Blayke Brailey, 10 Aaron Woods, 11 Briton Nikora, 12 Wade Graham, 13 Toby Rudolf 14. Connor Tracey 15. Aiden Tolman 16. Jack Williams 17. Billy Magoulias