Sharks vs Roosters best bets, top odds & multi tips – NRL Rd 12

The main event of NRL Super Saturday promises to be a cracker when the Sydney Roosters travel to the Sutherland Shire to take on the Cronulla Sharks in Round 12.

Cronulla proved they can win outside of Sydney with a solid win over the Titans in torrential conditions in their last start, while the Roosters were beaten heavily at the SCG by the Panthers.

Cronulla have been fantastic at home this season and will no doubt be looking to continue that trend. They toppled the Eels late, flogged the Knights, Tigers and Sea Eagles and then had a stirring win against the Warriors with just 11 men on the field at one point.

Four of the five wins have been by a minimum of 12 points, so there is no doubting they have a second and third gear when they play at home. With that form line, it is surprising to see the bookmakers still only have them as a 1.5-point favourite in the handicap market.

William Kennedy will return from suspension at fullback and replace Lachie Miller, who had a fantastic debut against the Titans, while Wade Graham has been named to start in the back row.

It may seem odd that we mention Graham, as he is the club captain, but since he has taken minutes off Teig Wilton on the left edge, the Sharks are noticeably worse off. The on-the-ball style that made Graham so successful doesn’t mesh in Craig Fitzgibbon’s new system, which suits a hole-running player like Wilton much better.

They are first in the competition for decoy runs and Wilton is their best exponent of it.

The more minutes Wilton sits on the bench the less effective the Sharks are and that shapes as a fascinating narrative moving forward, but in this game it could stifle them enough to open the door for the Roosters.

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If Cronulla do find a way to get Wilton the majority of the minutes in that left-edge spot, it spells try scoring chances for Siosifa Talakai ($3.20) and Ronaldo Mulitalo ($2.10).

After the Roosters had some issues on their right-edge defensively last weekend, those two look the most likely scoring options.

The Roosters competed well with the Panthers for the first 30 minutes of the game last week, but by half-time the contest was over.

In recent years they’ve been able to find that extra gear when the game gets to a breaking point, but this year they are lacking that and it makes them vulnerable to blow outs to the likes of Penrith and Melbourne and games against teams like Cronulla more like a coin flip.

The hooking rotation has been probably their biggest issue this season with Connor Watson and Drew Hutchinson not providing enough spark around the ruck and Sam Verrills is continually injured.

Usually with solid minutes at hooker they can stick to their structured style and score plenty of points against most opposition, but they’ve been better this season when they let their hair down and push into holes off second-phase play.

They currently rank dead last in decoy runs which is showing a transition in their play style, but will it be enough to generate 20 or more points at PointsBet Stadium.

Joseph Manu at $3.10 is a good tryscorer option if he is able to use his footwork on the bulkier Talakai, while Sitili Tupouniua at $5.50 is a good roughie.

Key matchup: Talakai vs Manu

Siosifa Talakai and Joseph Manu will be a lot of fun. They play the same position but have completely different ways of doing it. Manu has more of a licence to roam around the field to create extra numbers, while Talakai can single-handedly dominate his corridor with brute strength. Fans should keep an eye on this one.

Sharks vs Roosters predictions & top tips

Cronulla should get up at the 1-12 margin and thus keep intact their undefeated record at home this year. The Roosters traditionally don’t have a fantastic record at PointsBet Stadium and they will have a 10-minute period in them which will cost them dearly.

Sharks vs Roosters Rd 12 same-game multi

Cronulla by 12 or less with Ronaldo Mulitalo and Joseph Manu to score tries pays $16.77 with Neds.

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