NRL Round 19 Preview and Prediction - Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla Sharks @ CBUS Super Stadium

Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla Sharks @ CBUS Super Stadium
 
Preview - The defending Premiers, the Cronulla Sharks, will be looking to further solidify their Top 4 position as they travel to the Gold Coast to take on the struggling Titans on Saturday night. The Sharks would have enjoyed their bye week after they put in their most devastating performance of the season in crushing fellow title contenders, the Roosters, 44-12 in Gosford in Round 17. After a couple of months of inconsistent football and ugly victories, the Sharks blew the Roosters off the paddock with some outstanding attacking football and physical defence to climb to 2nd on the ladder and reassert themselves as perhaps the favourites for the competition behind the Storm. The Titans are also coming off a bye week, having kept their faint finals’ hopes alive with a gritty 20-10 victory over the Dragons at home in Round 17. The Titans sit a full 3 games outside the Top 8 and would need to win at least 6 of their 8 remaining games to have a chance of sneaking into 8th spot come season’s end. 
 
History - The Titans have a decent recent record against the Sharks having already beaten them at Shark Park this season and forced them to a tie in their Premiership season last year on the Gold Coast. The Titans were massive underdogs earlier this year when they ground out a 16-12 victory at Shark Park. Titans’ and Sharks’ games are often very close, with the last three games decided by 6 points or less, and the overall record reading 8 wins to the Sharks, 7 for the Titans, with 1 draw. 
 
Gold Coast Titans’ Scouting Report - The Titans will be desperate for Jarrod Wallace, Jarryd Hayne and Nathan Peats to back up from Origin given how their season is hanging on a knife edge and this game is a must win. The Titans are still without the experienced duo of Kane Elgey and Chris McQueen, and Titans’ coach Neil Henry has included Karl Lawton and Leivaha Pulu on his extended bench.
 
Cronulla Sharks Scouting Report -Cronulla Sharks Scouting Reprt - It really is a case of wait and see with the Sharks with Shane Flanagan undecided on whether Valantine Holmes, Jack Bird, James Maloney, Andrew Fifita and Wade Graham would back up from Origin 3. Andrew Fifita went back to Sydney on Thursday for the birth of his child and did not travel with the rest of the team. 
 
Verdict - Sharks by 6-14 in a high scoring game

The Titans have a great record against the Sharks so they will fancy their chances of causing a bit of an upset here. For whatever reason, the Sharks seems to struggle with the Titans, and maybe it’s their ability to stay in the contest for 80 minutes and get down and dirty in a gritty contest that has put the Sharks off their game. Whilst I'm expecting this game to be close, as the Sharks have not been that consistent this year in putting together back-to-back outstanding performances, I can't tip the Titans to win as I just think they have been way too inconsistent themselves this year. Put simply, I think the Sharks’ best is better than the Titans’ best, and if the Sharks turn up with the right attitude they should win this game and end their hoodoo against the Coast. I’m expecting the game to be high scoring on what is usually an immaculate surface on the Gold Coast.