2019 NRL Round 9 betting preview – Titans vs Sharks

Gold Coast Titans – $2.20 at Bet365
Cronulla Sharks – $1.70 at Sportsbet

The 2019 NRL season continues at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night as one of the league’s stragglers look to keep their fading finals hopes alive.

No matter which way you look at it, the situation is grim for the Gold Coast Titans after last week’s away defeat to North Queensland.

Garth Brennan’s men have now lost six of their first eight games, with only points differential keeping them off the bottom of the ladder.

AJ Brimson returns at five-eighth this week for the injured Tyrone Roberts, while Dale Copley replaces Phil Sami on the wing and Jesse Arthars steps onto the bench.

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The Cronulla Sharks are showing all their teeth after knocking off Melbourne in the big upset of round eight.

That result puts them back in the finals frame despite an injury list that includes Wade Graham, Shaun Johnson, Matt Moylan and Aaron Woods.

Josh Dugan is back, however, and played a key role against the Storm with a team-high 174 metres gained.

Sione Katoa drops out of the 17 this week, with Aaron Gray named on the left wing opposite Sosaia Feki.

Titans vs Sharks first tryscorer tips

Anthony Don – The Titans are struggling, but their veteran winger is looking sharp and has now scored tries in six consecutive games. Don might be the best bet available in the anytime tryscorer market.

Josh Dugan – Dugan has crossed the line in three of Cronulla’s four wins this season and played a pivotal part in the win over Melbourne. The NSW Origin rep should offer a bit of value to notch a try at any stage.

Key stats and betting trends

• Gold Coast’s average losing margin this season is 15.3 points
• The Titans are yet to win away from Cbus Super Stadium in 2019
• Cronulla have not delivered back-to-back wins since round three
• The Sharks are scoring only 15.6 points per game on average

Best bets for Gold Coast vs Cronulla

If this game was played at Robina, it might be a different story altogether.

But the Titans have struggled mightily on the road this year and the ‘home’ fixture at Lang Park doesn’t help them much.

Their attack was sloppy last week, with 14 errors, and will have to lift significantly to get through Fifita, Prior, et al.

Cronulla have shown plenty of heart in the face of adversity this season and should fancy their chances at a quasi-neutral venue.

Cronulla Sharks half-time/Cronulla Sharks full-time – $2.30 at Ladbrokes