Sharks looking for more Magic at Suncorp on Sunday

Author: Sharks Media
Timestamp: Sat 14 May 2022, 12:47 PM

They outscored their opponents 23-10 for the 62 minutes when a man short, with the Sharks the first team in 14 years to record a victory despite having a player sent off in the first half of a match.

When Will Kennedy was dismissed for a high tackle, all hope had appeared lost for the Cronulla side, then in adding to the challenge they faced Jesse Ramien spent 10 minutes of the second half in the sin bin, however in showing great courage under adversity, the Sharks not only hung on, but delivered a dominant performance to beat the Warriors 29-10.

Now the test is to back up their efforts of a week ago against a Raiders side desperate to build on a last start victory.

Sharks captain on the day Dale Finucane led the charge against the Warriors, ranking it alongside some of his more memorable rugby league moments.

“The resilience of the group to do what we did with 12 men for 65 minutes, then with 11 for 10 more minutes, it was a resilient effort from the group. It ranked right up there as one of the most special games I’ve been a part of,” Finucane said.

“In terms of courage, commitment, will to win, I can’t put too many above it,” he added.

Watching on from the stands after being ruled out of the contest due to a bad case of the flu, Ronaldo Mulitalo was equally proud of what his teammates were able to produce.

“It shone a light on what this clubs stands for and what we’re trying to build here. These performances are where your identity comes out,” Mulitalo said.

“We’re going in the right direction, we’ve just got to build on it now.”

However, as pleased as he was with the Warriors win, Finucane was aware of the need for the Sharks to move on to the next assignment, which is a Magic Round clash with a Raiders team that managed to claim a round one win in the first meeting of the two teams in 2022.

“I don’t know about revenge, but it’s about finding consistency as a team. We were disappointed with that round one result and we’ll be trying hard to rectify it,” Finucane said.

In team news, the Sharks have been forced into something of a backline reshuffle due to the suspensions handed down to Kennedy and Ramien.

Nicho Hynes, the Sharks number seven for the first nine rounds of the season, shifts to fullback, a position he occupied for much of 2021 while at the Storm. Braydon Trindall comes into the Sharks team in the halves.

Connor Tracey moves from the wing to replace Ramien in the centres, with Mulitalo to return after making a full recovery from the illness that sidelined him last Sunday.

With the game to be played in Brisbane as the first of a Magic Round triple header on Sunday, the Sharks poor record at Suncorp Stadium could be a cause for concern, however making them feel better about an eight from 26 (30.8%) strike rate is the fact that the Raiders have an even worse win percentage of 29.2%, with 17 losses and just seven victories from their 24 Suncorp matches.

Overall, in the head-to-head matchup, Sunday’s game is set to break a deadlock, with the Sharks and Raiders each having won 39 games from the 78 played.

Of late it has been all Canberra, the Raiders victorious in the past seven matches against the Sharks, the longest winning streak for games between the two clubs.

In their most recent clash in round one of the 2022 season, a match which Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon was forced to miss due to Covid, the Raiders prevailed 24-19, scoring a late try to claim victory.

While the Sharks were becoming the first team to win with a player sent off in the first half since 2008, the Raiders also enjoyed a positive result in round nine, a 14-4 victory over the Bulldogs to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Sharks v Raiders match is scheduled for a 1.50pm kick off on Sunday, with games featuring the Eels and Roosters, then Cowboys and Tigers to follow.

See below the two 19-man squad lists.

Round 10 - Round 10 - Sunday 15 May

Full Time

Sharks

Raiders

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Sharks is number 1 Nicholas Hynes

Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Winger for Sharks is number 2 Sione Katoa

Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric
Centre for Sharks is number 3 Connor Tracey

Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko
Centre for Sharks is number 4 Siosifa Talakai

Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris
Winger for Sharks is number 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo

Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana
Five-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Matt Moylan

Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Matt Frawley
Halfback for Sharks is number 7 Braydon Trindall

Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Brad Schneider

Forwards

Prop for Sharks is number 8 Toby Rudolf

Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii
Hooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke Brailey

Hooker for Raiders is number 25 Zac Woolford
Prop for Sharks is number 13 Dale Finucane

Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Briton Nikora

2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Teig Wilton

2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
Lock for Sharks is number 14 Cameron McInnes

Lock for Raiders is number 13 Corey Harawira-Naera

Interchange

Interchange for Sharks is number 10 Aiden Tolman

Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
Interchange for Sharks is number 15 Jack Williams

Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Ryan Sutton
Interchange for Sharks is number 16 Wade Graham

Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Xavier Savage
Interchange for Sharks is number 17 Royce Hunt

Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Corey Horsburgh