NRL Round 9 Preview and Prediction - Wests Tigers v Cronulla Sharks @ Leichhardt Oval

Wests Tigers v Cronulla Sharks @ Leichhardt Oval
 
Preview - The Wests Tigers will be looking to make it 3 wins from 4 games under new Coach Ivan Cleary when they take on the reigning Premiers, the Cronulla Sharks, at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night. The Tigers have had a newfound resolve under Cleary, grinding out close wins against the Cowboys and Bulldogs in between a narrow loss to the Eels in a game they led for long periods. Most pleasing for Cleary would have been the side’s defence last week which held the Bulldogs to 2 tries before a late try to Kevin Naiqama sealed an 18-12 victory. The Sharks’ poor home form continued with a shock 16-12 loss to the Titans at Shark Park last Saturday night. However, the Sharks have been dynamite on the road this year, with 4 very impressive victories over the Raiders, Eels, Storm and Panthers.
 
History - The Sharks have won 4 of the past 6 clashes against the Tigers going back to 2013. Last season the sides only met once with the Sharks winning an entertaining game at Campbelltown Stadium 34-26 in Round 5. The Tigers do hold an incredibly dominant recent record over the Sharks overall, having won 15 from their past 20 games against them and 17 from 27 overall.
 
Wests Tigers’ Scouting Report - The Tigers have named an unchanged side that beat the Bulldogs last week. Luke Brooks made a really promising return last week with over 90 running metres and a highly involved performance. It was clear to me that Ivan Cleary had told Brooks to take more control over the side’s kicking game and the team’s play as he took the first 6 kicks of the match rather than splitting duties with Mitchell Moses. 
 
Cronulla Sharks Scouting Report - The Sharks have lost Jayson Bukuya for an extended period with an ankle injury sustained last week. Gerrard Beale returns to the wing which pushes Kurt Capewell to the bench. Luke Lewis also returns to the back row after a week out with a minor hamstring injury. 
 
Verdict - Sharks by 8-18
 
The Sharks should have too much punch and firepower for the Tigers. Their away form has been great this season, so heading to Leichhardt Oval will hold no fears for them. The Tigers tend to go better against more grinding, defensive type teams. However the Sharks are the opposite sort of team to that. They play an up-tempo style of game with their forwards capable of being dynamic with late offloads and late footwork. They also have far more speed and quicker ball movement than a Bulldogs’ side that looked sluggish last week. There is no doubt the Tigers are playing better under Cleary and I expect them to put up a spirited performance here at Leichhardt Oval. However, I think the Sharks will outscore the Tigers and win a game which should be entertaining and high scoring.