Sharks vs Cowboys betting tips & best odds – NRL 2021, Round 4

The Cronulla Sharks will face the North Queensland Cowboys this Saturday in round four of the 2021 NRL Premiership. This match was originally scheduled to be played on the Sunshine Coast, but the ongoing COVID drama in Queensland has forced the league to move this fixture to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.

That is good news for the Sharks, who will be feeling a little bit heavy in the legs after a brutal encounter with Parramatta. Cronulla suffered several casualties in that game, but they will only be missing Briton Nikora and Sione Katoa this weekend.

In contrast, Cowboys coach Todd Payten has made several changes in a bid to inspire a turnaround to their horror start to the season. The recent head-to-head record has been unkind to North Queensland, with Cronulla winning the past five clashes, so we can expect the visitors to be rank outsiders with NRL bookmakers come kickoff on Saturday arvo.

Key matchup: Valentine Holmes vs William Kennedy

Valentine Holmes has made noise that he wants to be the North Queensland fullback going forward, and there have been whispers that he is unhappy with the new coach. One way he can stake a claim to the no.1 jersey is to aim up against his old club when his current side have their backs against the wall. William Kennedy has been a big improver over the last 18 months and has added spark out wide for the Sharks, and it will need to be Holmes as a senior player who steps up if the Cowboys are to have any chance of winning. He was on the end of one nice backline play which resulted in a try for Murray Taulagi against the Titans, and he will need to produce a lot more quality touches like that to make it a contest, especially with a makeshift halfback in Ben Hampton replacing Jake Clifford.

Cronulla Sharks betting info

Everyone knows of Cronulla’s inability to beat a top-eight team, so the good news is they get to play a genuine wooden spoon contender. Four of their past five wins against the Cowboys have come by double digits, which brings the 13+ margin ($2.30 with Sportsbet) into proceedings. Ronaldo Mulitalo scored a double in 2020 against the Cowboys and is a must for any tryscorer legs in your NRL multis. Braden Hamlin-Uele was a first tryscorer three times in 2020, and the Cowboys were one of his victims, so while we aren’t as confident that will happen again, he is another must for an anytime tryscorer bet. When you look at how much space the Titans had to run through the middle of the field last week, the power of Hamlin-Uele might haunt his old team.

Cronulla Sharks

1. William Kennedy
2. Mawene Hiroti
3. Josh Dugan
4. Connor Tracey
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Matt Moylan
7. Chad Townsend
8. Braden Hamlin-Uele
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Aaron Woods
11. Teig Wilton
12. Wade Graham
13. Toby Rudolf
14. Braydon Trinall
15. Aiden Tolman
16. Jack Williams
17. Billy Magoulias

North Queensland Cowboys betting info

The North Queensland Cowboys have struggled to score points in 2021 in large part because they spend most of the game behind the goalposts after conceding points. They are 15th in total tries scored across the opening three rounds and dead last in linebreaks with only five, while the Titans have made 20 in that same span. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow ($11) and Murray Taulagi ($15) are North Queensland’s only realistic options in the first tryscorer market, but they provide good value if you think the Cows can get a fast start. After four double-digit losses in their last five starts against the Sharks, the +7.5 line looks way too short.

North Queensland Cowboys

1. Valentine Holmes
2. Murray Taulagi
3. Justin O’Neill
4. Connelly Lemuelu
5. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
6. Scott Drinkwater
7. Ben Hampton
8. Francis Molo
9. Reece Robson
10. Jordan McLean
11. Shane Wright
12. Ben Condon
13. Josh McGuire
14. Jake Granville
15. Coen Hess
16. Corey Jensen
17. Lachlan Burr

Sharks vs Cowboys betting prediction

The Sharks at the 13+ margin looks the best bet. The Cowboys are leaking too many points while barely creating any chances, and they will do well to score more than 10 points in their current state.

Sharks vs Cowboys same game multi

We are on William Kennedy and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score at anytime with the Sharks hitting the 13+ margin and first to 10 points, all for a tasty $13.50 return at Sportsbet.