Saturday first NRL Round 5 match is between Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand Warriors with the opening kick to commence at 3pm AEDT. The game is to be played at Remondis Stadium which see’s away team New Zealand Warriors hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand Warriors.
WHERE AND WHEN: Remondis Stadium, 3pm AEDT, Saturday, Apr 5
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Odds Comparison:
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| Cronulla Sharks | 2.40 | 2.37 | 2.50 | 2.37 | 2.40 | 2.40 |
| New Zealand Warriors | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.55 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.60 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Teams:
Cronulla Sharks:
Michael Gordon, Nathan Stapleton, Blake Ayshford, Ricky Leutele, Jonathan Wright, Todd Carney, Daniel Holdsworth, Andrew Fifita, John Morris, Bryce Gibbs, Matt Prior, Wade Graham (c), Chris Heighington. Interchange: Isaac De Gois, Tinirau Arona, Sam Tagataese, Siosaia Vave, Tupou Sopoaga
New Zealand Warriors:
Sam Tomkins, Glen Fisiiahi, Dane Nielsen, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, Chad Townsend, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Ben Matulino, Jayson Bukuya, Simon Mannering, Sione Lousi. Interchange: Jacob Lillyman, Suaia Matagi, Feleti Mateo, Thomas Leuluai, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Raymond Faitala-Mariner
News:
For the Warriors, the bout of introspection at Cronulla means one thing – they’re going to be pretty fired up come Saturday.
The Sharks, under interim coach Peter Sharp, are the only winless team in the NRL after four rounds.
They go into their home match against the Warriors with injured skipper Paul Gallen comparing them to schoolkids playing up with a relief teacher.
Sharp is standing in for suspended coach Shane Flanagan, who is serving a one-year ban over governance issues concerning the club’s 2011 supplements program.
Warriors coach Matthew Elliott says Gallen’s comments indicate the type of conversations that would have been going on inside the Cronulla camp this week.
“If they’re saying that publicly, they’ve had a really stern chat,” he said.
“I’m expecting our toughest game of the year.”
Gallen is among a significant Cronulla injury list that also includes the likes of Anthony Tupou and Luke Lewis.
While the Sharks are bottom of the table, Elliott points out that their two matches at Remondis Stadium have produced close losses against sides sitting in the top four – Gold Coast and competition leaders St George Illawarra.
“That’s a fair indication of where they’re at,” he said.
“Nothing is ever as bad as you think. You look across their team and I know who they don’t have playing, but the people they have are a pretty handy crew.”
The match will mark a return for two former Sharks – five-eighth Chad Townsend and second rower Jayson Bukuya – to the Warriors line-up.
Townsend is the less experienced of the pair, with 19 first-grade appearances in three seasons before his arrival at the Warriors in the summer, and Elliott is happy with how the 23-year-old is tracking.
He has kept him in the No.6 jersey, while 31-Test Kiwi Thomas Leuluai will again provide utility cover off the bench in his second game back from injury.