Premiership Chances

I keep forgetting the Sharks won the spoon last year, been an awesome year for them so far picking up where they left off in 2013.

Tell you what they're getting their money's worth out of Luke Lewis this year, looks set to play more than 20 games for the first time in five years and should they win next week it'll be more than 21 for the first time since 2003.

He's also scored the most tries in a season for himself since 2005 with 11, been a weapon for the Sharks this year!
 
Big Pete said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of any instance where the 5th favourite team has taken out the premiership this late in the competition. Certainly, I can remember many instances where a side surprised everyone and made it as far as a prelim or even the grand final, but gone onto win? Hmmm...maybe not since the Super League era where the Bulldogs surprised everyone has something like that happened.

So I don't think it's that disrespectful to think the Sharks chances are slim to none. Of course every team is some chance, even Manly but it's like that scene from Dumb and Dumber...



...they're not good.

I think 5th favourite is a little generous for Cronulla as well. Yes, the addition of Fifita is handy but I don't think it's automatically a tremendous boost to the Sharks. On his day, Fifita is the best prop forward in the game. However, this season, he has easily been the dumbest prop forward and he can just as easily cost the Sharks a game, as much as he can win it. Maybe the six weeks on the sidelines would have helped him somewhat but I don't think the Sharks have really missed him and if I was Flanagan, I'd be compelled to play him off the bench and challenge Fifita to take the spots off of Tagataese and Heighno - the latter of which has been very underrated this season.

So unless Fifita can find his best form, I think the Sharks will be caught out and wouldn't be surprised to see them out by week 2.

If they are, there's no shame in that. After all the drama of last season with ASADA & Carney, to finish inside the Top 4 would be a nice achievement. It also bodes well for their future. Maloney & Townsend are an upgrade on their current halves pairing & Bird could be just as handy in the centres as he is at five eighth. The fullback equation should be less hairy now with Gordon out of the equation. That will mean Cronulla will either get more value out of Barba or develop Holmes who looks capable of adding another dimension to the Sharks attack.

It isn't a making of a dynasty by any means, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Cronulla struggle in 2017 with a few players getting on or looking close to retirement, but they should figure somewhere next year.
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Thats a pretty bold statement when you consider A.Fifita has scored 7 tries...just about the same as all our front rowers combined, their total is 8 tries ! Further disproving your statement is the fact that he has only played 16 games !

I'd say they'll beat Manly tomorrow as they are now officially no chance of making the eight and likely will be looking towards the end. Sure they will want to give Toovey a send off and finish well but with it all to play for , the Sharks are likely to go pretty hard. The Sharks desperately want to finish fourth because they fancy their chances against the Roosters in Sydney. Thinking Fifita won't start is fair enough I suppose but I reckon he's a dead set certainty to start the game and will slot in seamlessly. Heighington I think will go back to the bench.
 
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I hope the Sharks win, purely because I think they'll bash the Roosters a lot more than Melbourne can and possibly even win, especially if Maloney is out.
 
Huge said:
Thinking Fifita won't start is fair enough I suppose but I reckon he's a dead set certainty to start the game and will slot in seamlessly. Heighington I think will go back to the bench.
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I don't think he should start.

I don't know what Flanagan thinks.
 
Big Pete said:
I don't think he should start.

I don't know what Flanagan thinks.
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I don't know either, that's why I said I think he will start. Not sure why you mentioned Flanagan as neither of us wrote we know what he thinks.
 
Because you wrote this...

Huge said:
Thinking Fifita won't start is fair enough
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How would I know if Flanagan is going to start him?

There's a difference between thinking he won't start and thinking that he shouldn't start.

Huge said:
Thats a pretty bold statement when you consider A.Fifita has scored 7 tries...just about the same as all our front rowers combined, their total is 8 tries ! Further disproving your statement is the fact that he has only played 16 games !
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That doesn't indicate how well he controls the ruck.

I'm not calling him a bad player by any means, but he has shown on numerous occasions that he is a liability and his preparation leading into the finals has been practically non-existent.
 
Anyone wondering about the Roosters finals chances will be dismayed to learn how they have been favoured this year by the refs. Up until round 16 they whinged that they haven't been receiving their fair share of penalties and so encouraged the SMH to write about how poorly they'd been treated. They said that they had only received 5.43 penalties a match. Amazingly that average shot up over the next 10 matches to 6.2 per game. Taken over the season including the 'terrible treatment' they'd been dealt in the first 16 matches gave them a season average of 5.73.

So that makes Brisbanes season average of 4.53 a clear cut case of bias. The Broncos must contact the SMH and let them know about this travesty of justice. This average is way worse than the average the Roosters complained about.

It makes our effort to run 2 nd even more meritorious.
 
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With Maloney, do people think it was an intentional trip or kick?

If they deem it to be a trip, he will be free to play.

If they deem it to be a kick, he is gone for the first game. Grade 1 kicking is 200 points.
 
Seems like a kick to me, pretty poor attempt if that's a "trip".
 
It was as clear as day a kick. Sure there was no malice in it and he was frustrated at dropping the ball but it was still a kick. However, we all know that it won't be treated as such at the judiciary and he will be free to play.
 
George Burgess banned for 2 weeks for throwing a water bottle, lol. Sharks are specials now.
 
Sharks aren't specials . You forgot he threw it at a Rooster
 
I didn't see the incident involving Burgess, who did he throw the water bottle at? Was it Evans?

I did see Kane Evans throw the ball at Paul Carter's head wound, which only received a Grade 1, so I'm trying to figure out how the **** that's different to what Burgess did.
 
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