The story so far: Sharks v RaidersThe teams have shared victories in their two clashes this year, with the visiting side successful on both occasions. But with contrasting results and performances, what will this mean for Sunday’s game?
| Round 8 - Sharks 44 defeated Raiders 22|
The teams traded tries early in the game, but the Sharks ran in four tries in the 15 minutes either side of half time to take the game away from the Raiders and win their sixth straight game.
| KEY PLAYS |
Both teams traded tries early in the game off kicks, but when John Williams went over off some good ball movement there was a sense the Sharks were on.
Not to be outdone, Josh McCrone got the Raiders back in the game in the 29th minute, with a bit of individual brilliance to close the gap and keep the Sharks within striking distance close to half time.
It wasn’t long before the Sharks hit back however, as some great hands by Paul Gallen put Jeremy Smith into a gap and set up a try for John Morris, opening the floodgates for Cronulla.
Already holding a 16 point lead at the break, Jeff Robson split the Raiders defence with a simple dummy and step just after half time to put the result beyond doubt.
| STANDOUTS |
Paul Gallen was the difference maker at Canberra Stadium. He ran for 208m from 25 hit-ups and made 21 tackles, but it was more about his passing and play-making. He may not have officially received a try-assist, but he had a big role in John Williams’ first try, before putting Jeremy Smith away to set up John Morris and running down the short-side to create an overlap for the final try to Colin Best. Speaking of Best, he showed some vintage form, throwing the last pass for both of Williams’ tries before scoring one himself.
For the Raiders, Josh Dugan was his reliable self at the back with plenty of run metres and 3 tackle breaks, while Shaun Fensom still pumped out 45 tackles in the centre.
| Round 20 - Raiders 36 defeated Sharks 4|
A dominant Raiders performance in the first half blew the Sharks off the park, consigning them to their second straight loss and starting a Raiders revival which would see them lose just one more game in the regular season.
| KEY PLAYS |
Despite being heavy underdogs, the Raiders got off to a blistering start with Sam Williams crossing in just the 4th minute after a late offload by Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
The Raiders continued to dominate, with Josh McCrone playing a leading role as they opened up some holes on the edges.
Their dominance continued until the break, with Papalii again opening them up to put former Shark Blake Ferguson over and have a 24-0 lead before half time.
The Sharks were on the back foot, but Mark Taufua would cross the line to open their scoring after some good work by John Morris from dummy half.
After a period of tough football following the break, it took a returning Josh Dugan to seal the result for Canberra, taking an intercept and running 90m to score.
| STANDOUTS |
With no Paul Gallen, Bryce Gibbs stepped up for Cronulla, running 111m from 13 hit-ups as well as making 16 tackles, while Andrew Fifita made an impact off the bench with 109m from 15 hit-ups and 4 tackle breaks.
Ironically returning from an ankle injury, Josh Dugan was a star for the Raiders at both fullback and on the wing with an intercept try and 3 tackle breaks. But it was his captain David Shillington and prop Tom Learoyd-Lahrs who laid the platform for Canberra. Shillington had 173m from 16 hit-ups while Learoyd-Lahrs ran for 106m from 15 hit-ups.
| LESSON LEARNED |
The key in these games is quite clearly in the centre of the park. In Canberra, Paul Gallen led the Sharks to victory with a work-horse performance mixed with some subtle ball playing. In his absence at Toyota Stadium David Shillington and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs dominated the Sharks to allow for early ball movement and let the Raiders dominate the Sharks on the fringes.
If the Sharks can get on top in the forwards then it will allow the kicking games of Todd Carney and Jeff Robson to come into play.
If the Raiders can get on top up front, Josh McCrone and Sam Williams will come into the game wider out, as they have done in big wins over Canterbury and Melbourne in recent times.
Source: http://www.sharks.com.au/news-display/The-story-so-far-Sharks-v-Raiders/63438
Topic: The Last Times They Met: Raiders V #Cronulla #Sharks #NRLCANCRO
