Sharks vs Bulldogs NRL Saturday best bets & odds – Rd 24, 2022

Super Saturday continues in the Shire as the Cronulla Sharks host the Canterbury Bulldogs at Pointsbet Stadium.

Cronulla continue their march to September, and with a soft finish to the 2022 regular season, will be hoping to book themselves a home semi-final in Cronulla. The Sharks will need results to go their way in other games for this outcome, but they will certainly be controlling what they can control and looking to chalk up a big win Saturday.

The Bulldogs have been disappointing in the last two weeks against the Warriors and Eels, where they were every chance of winning both matches. Can the Bulldogs rebound against the Sharks, or will the home side cruise to another victory en route to the 2022 NRL finals series?

Both sides have been forced to make changes through injury, as Connor Tracey is replaced by Siosifa Talakai after suffering a concussion last week against the Dragons. For the Bulldogs, Tevita Pangai Jr has been dropped to reserve grade, which has caused a stir in the media, as Chris Patolo returns to the interchange bench. Further changes will be made as forward Luke Thompson has tested positive for Covid-19.

Given the recent years of success for the Sharks, it’s surprising to learn that in 35 games the Bulldogs have won on 19 occasions. The success of the Sharks is reflected more in the fact the Sharks have won eight of their last ten games against the Bulldogs, including their last two matches by a total of 62 points to 30. It’s also surprising that the Bulldogs have won six of their eleven games at Pointsbet Stadium, however, they have not had to play the side they’ll take on this Saturday. The Sharks are firing in all cylinders and are a lock to win this Saturday by 19+ points paying $1.55 with BetOnline.

Nicho Hynes has had a remarkable season as one of the few former Melbourne Storm players to succeed outside of the Storm system. Hynes has stepped up to lead the Sharks around the park as a stereotypical halfback would, while continuing to show off his incredible attacking game to score for himself. Hynes scored early last week against the Sharks and should find himself in the Canterbury in goal area this week at any time during the match to score paying $3.20 with Ladbrokes.

The Bulldogs right edge defence has been their most vulnerable this season, and unfortunately for them, it’s Cronulla’s best side in attack. The return of Talakai to the left centre position will cause all sorts of headaches for Jacob Kiraz and Braidon Burns who will not be able to stop either Talakai or Ronaldo Mulitalo from scoring at any time at prices of $1.91 and $1.57 respectively.

Cronulla are not the perfect football team, and the Bulldogs do have the ability to score points under head coach Mick Potter. Should the Bulldogs score some of their own, and the Sharks continue their scoring run, this match should finish well above the 50.5 total match points for the game at $1.90 with online bookmakers.

Key matchup: Siosifa Talakai vs Braidon Burns

Braidon Burns will have more than his fair share of work cut out for him Saturday as he is tasked with containing Talakai. Talakai has been out with a shoulder injury, and being named to start as opposed to being brought in from the reserves suggests he is fully fit to play Saturday. Talakai has often been the centre of the Sharks right edge attack, either as a decoy or the main target, putting defenders on the back foot and allowing the likes of Hynes and Matt Moylan to make the last decision with the pass. Should Talakai be given the space to run onto the ball at top speed, as he did when he was at his devastating best earlier this season, he will be too much to handle once again and put on another dominant display at Pointsbet Stadium.

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