NRL Finals Week 2 Preview - Shark v Panthers @ Allianz Stadium

NRL Finals Week 2 - Cronulla Sharks v Penrith Panthers @ Sydney Football Stadium

Preview - The Sharks and Panthers collide in an explosive elimination semi-final at Allianz Stadium on Friday night. Adding spice to an already tasty fixture is the player swap conducted in the off-season where Matt Moylan controversially left the Panthers, sending James Maloney the other way. The Sharks blew their chance of getting a week off when they bombed a number of opportunities in going down 21-12 to the Roosters on Saturday night. The Panthers produced their best display for a number of weeks as they shut out the Warriors in the second half for a commanding 27-12 victory to reach the second week of the finals for the third straight season.

Cronulla Sharks' Scouting Report - A huge blow for the Sharks with backrower Wade Graham being ruled out for the season after rupturing his ACL last week. Scott Sorensen replaces him in the starting pack, with Kurt Capewell back from injury on the bench.

Penrith Panthers' Scouting Report - Cameron Ziraldo has the luxury of naming an unchanged side to the one that dominated the Warriors last Saturday afternoon.

Verdict - Panthers by 1-8

Very hard game to call as we get several sub-plots here in what should be a really fiery encounter. The Sharks are a battle hardened side that will try and win the battle in the middle, whilst the Panthers best might be better than the Sharks, but they can often be flaky defensively, and take more chances with the football. I'm going to tip an upset, with the fresher looking Panthers to run over a Sharks' side that played a really physical game against the Roosters last week. Without Wade Graham, I think their attack will suffer, while the Panthers appear to be defending a lot better over the past couple of weeks. Sharks deserve to start favourites, given their experience and record against Penrith, but I just feel Penrith get them at a good time here.