Get yourself ready for what is bound to be a battle of attrition as the Sharks arrive at the SCG on Saturday night, with both sides looking to build on strong wins in Round 4.
Recent History: Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Saturday night's clash will be the 104th time Easts and Cronulla do battle, with the match up beginning with the Sharks' entry into the NSWRL in 1967. The Red, White and Blue have a comfortable 62% winning rate against the black, white and blue, having also won the past five contests going back to 2017, averaging 26 points.
Prior to the last five matches though, Cronulla held a six-match streak against the Roosters, with the sides sharing the spoils in the last ten contests with five wins each in what has been a see-sawing rivalry over the past decade, which includes a 14-all draw in 2012.
In Round 4 the Tricolours bounced back from defeat to claim a famous 32-12 win over the Warriors, highlighted by the performances of debutants Sam Walker and Ben Marschke, while the Sharks had a day out against the Cowboys, piling on six first-half tries in a 48-10 win.
In a pleasing stat for Roosters Members and supporters, Cronulla has only won a single game between the sides at the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground, going all the way back to 1975.
How They Line Up
After their emphatic victory on Easter Sunday, the side will be bolstered by a number of returning personnel in the squad, including Sitili Tupouniua and Daniel Suluka-Fifita.
Sam Walker and Drew Hutchison have been named in the halves once again after a strong performance against the Warriors, while debutant Ben Marschke retains his spot on the bench.
The match will also mark the first milestone of the season for the Red, White and Blue, as Angus Crichton notches up his 100th NRL appearance, with the 2019 Premiership winner having currently played 44 matches for the Club.
Match: Roosters v Sharks
Round 5 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Sharks
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James TedescoFullback for Sharks is number 1 William Kennedy
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel TupouWinger for Sharks is number 2 Mawene Hiroti
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Centre for Roosters is number 3 Josh MorrisCentre for Sharks is number 3 Josh Dugan
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Centre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph ManuCentre for Sharks is number 4 Jesse Ramien
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Winger for Roosters is number 5 Brett MorrisWinger for Sharks is number 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Drew HutchisonFive-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Matt Moylan
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Sam WalkerHalfback for Sharks is number 7 Chad Townsend
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 8 Isaac LiuProp for Sharks is number 8 Braden Hamlin-Uele
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Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Freddy LussickHooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke Brailey
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Prop for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua TaukeiahoProp for Sharks is number 10 Aaron Woods
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Angus Crichton2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Teig Wilton
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 16 Nat Butcher2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Wade Graham
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Victor RadleyLock for Sharks is number 13 Toby Rudolf
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 12 Sitili TupouniuaInterchange for Sharks is number 14 Connor Tracey
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Interchange for Roosters is number 14 Ben MarschkeInterchange for Sharks is number 15 Aiden Tolman
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Jared Waerea-HargreavesInterchange for Sharks is number 16 Jack Williams
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Interchange for Roosters is number 17 Fletcher BakerInterchange for Sharks is number 17 Billy Magoulias
Reserves
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Reserve for Roosters is number 21 Matt IkuvaluReserve for Sharks is number 18 Braydon Trindall
Match Officials
- Referee: Adam Gee
- Touch Judge: Nick Beashel
- Touch Judge: Peter Gough
- Senior Review Official: Steve Chiddy
Last updated:
Walker and Hutchison take on experienced halves pairing in Chad Townsend and Matt Moylan, as captain James Tedesco welcomes another challenger in the form of Will Kennedy.
The Sharks are also boosted by the return of centre Jesse Ramien, with Connor Tracey taking over the utility role on the interchange bench.
Key Matchup: Josh Morris vs Josh Dugan
Josh Morris comes up against former teammate Josh Dugan in what will be an intriguing battle in the experienced centres, as the veterans duke it out in our key match up.
Both have eerily similar statistics heading into the match, with the duo scoring three tries and making twelve tackle breaks each in their four respective appearances so far in 2021.
The sole difference between the two comes in Morris' 120 average metres compared to Dugan's average of 96 metres, while the Roosters' left edge strike weapon also has two linebreaks with his opponent yet to break the line this year.
Be sure to keep an eye on the two former International and Origin representatives who will be putting everything aside as they come head to head on Saturday night.
What They Said
"Fletcher Baker and (Sam) Walker, they’ve been playing their role. It’s good to see them out there and hopefully, they get more game time this week." - Siosiua Taukeiaho
"It’s exciting the new challenges for us as leaders of the Club. We speak about it all the time, everyone has a part to play in leadership and we’re looking forward to another challenge this week." - Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
"He sets really high standards at training and he set a really good platform leading into the Sharks game this week." - Freddy Lussick on Angus Crichton
Round 5 Media - Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Your Verdict
While the Sharks are always an unpredictable opponent, the mighty Tricolours are determined to produce another win for the Roosters' faithful at our home, the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground.
Make sure to grab your tickets here, head on out on Saturday night and cheer on the Red, White and Blue as we prepare for what is bound to be another blockbuster at the SCG!
