Friday’s second NRL Round 19 match is between Cronulla Sharks and Nth Queensland Cowboys with the opening kick to commence at 19:45 local time. The game is to be played at Remondis Stadium which see’s away team Nth Queensland Cowboys hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between Cronulla Sharks and Nth Queensland Cowboys.
Where and when: 19:45 | Friday 18/07/2014 @ Remondis Stadium
Preview:
After two remarkable come-from-behind victories over the Roosters and Brisbane both away from home, it was no surprise to see near a full house for the Sharks first home game last week against Newcastle.
No surprise either to see the Sharks start well with the crowd behind and the home-side scoring three times in the first half, the first going to Jeff Robson after just 3 minutes of play. The Sharks scored two more tries and went to the break with an 18 – nil lead and all the momentum.
The second half though was not of the same quality of that that they produced against the Roosters and Brisbane, and only sixteen minutes into the second half, the scores were level with the Knights running in three quick tries.
It was a momentum swing that the Sharks could not counter and in the end, the Knights crossed twice more to seal a Sharks-like victory 31 – 18.
It was a disappointing to see the Sharks, who were looking to register three wins on the trot for the first time since rounds round 11 of last year, not offer more resistance in the second half but they’ll be keen to bounce back here with a Friday night game in-front of another home crowd.
They’ve displayed – albeit in patches – the ability they possess and have proven at their best, they are a test for any side however, they’ll have to start putting two halves of football together if they want to win more games for the remainder of the season.
Paul Gallen is out for this clash and is a big loss but Andrew Fifita returns to the starting line-up.
COWBOYS
Although close the Cowboys still couldn’t crack it for their first away win of the season when defeated by the Dragons in round 17, 27 – 24.
After a good run that saw them register four wins out of five, the Cowboys have won only one of their past four and have now slipped to twelfth on the ladder.
In their favour is a much stronger for-and-against than the four teams that sit above them so a win here could see them move up several spots on the ladder.
With four of their last six games at home – where this year they’ve lost one from eight matches, this is a real must-win game for the Cowboys.
Last week’s bye came at the right time for the Cowboys and allowed their Origin pair of Thurston and Tamou, a much needed week off.
They both return for this game allowing Michael Morgan, who substituted for Thurston at half-back last match, to return to the fullback position.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sharks won narrowly when the two sides last met in the first week of last year’s finals series however, only two weeks prior to that, the Cowboys had posted a 31 – 18 win.
Importantly for the Cowboys, that win came at Remondis Stadium and it was their third win from as many visits to the venue.
The away hoodoo has to be broken by the Cowboys and now, with their position on the ladder in a precarious position, is the time to do it. They’ve got within 2, 8 and 3 points in their last three away games against Parramatta, Newcastle and Dragons repectively.
The Sharks will have to put 80 minutes together if they are to win. They haven’t done so this year and although their Cowboys record away from home overall is atrocious, they’re record here reads much better and with more on the line, they should get home.
Teams:
SHARKS: Michael Gordon, Sosaia Feki, Jonathan Wright, Ricky Leutele, Jacob Gagan, Fa’amanu Brown, Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, Michael Lichaa, Bryce Gibbs, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Anthony Tupou. Interchange: Pat Politoni, Siosaia Vave, Tinirau Arona, Sam Tagataese, Tim Robinson, Tupou Sopoaga.
COWBOYS: Michael Morgan, Matthew Wright, Tautau Moga, Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein, Robert Lui, Johnathan Thurston, Ashton Sims, Rory Kostjasyn, James Tamou, Tariq Sims, Jason Taumalolo, Glenn Hall. Interchange: Ray Thompson, Scott Bolton, Sam Hoare, John Asiata.
News:
Three hundred-game NRL veteran John Morris is putting his hand up to be a Cronulla assistant coach under Shane Flanagan next season.
Peter Sharp was the assistant holding the fort for Flanagan until his NRL suspension ends in September.
But following Sharp’s resignation two weeks ago – the Sharks must appoint at least one new member to their coaching staff for 2015.
Morris – who is sidelined with a neck injury – jumped at the chance to dive head first into coaching as a temporary deputy to James Shepherd, another of Flanagan’s assistants who has now stepped up as the new interim coach.
And he has ambitions to make a permanent transition into coaching, eyeing off the vacant position to become a permanent part of Flanagan’s staff.
While there is a small chance the 33-year-old MOrris may look to extend his playing career, the likelihood is that a bulging disc injury which doctors have deemed unsafe will force him to retire.
Morris is open to starting out his coaching career in the lower grades, but says he’d like to be considered for the NRL.
“I’d definitely put my hand up. I think I’d be up to it,” Morris told AAP.
“Flanno comes back next year and he’s a wonderful coach. The club is looking to bring in a couple of staff to assist at NRL level so playing 300 games, I’ve got a bit of experience there to pass on.
“I’ve still got to follow up on my neck and that will determine what I do next year.
“They know I’m keen to get into coaching. I’d love to help out, if I’m not playing, in either an assistant’s role or a high performance role mentoring the young kids and trying to bring through our elite juniors.”
Morris would like the chance to finish his 14-year career on his terms, but says he’d be foolish to take risks.
He will get scans in a couple of weeks to make a final decision.
“At the moment I can’t play because the doctor said it’s probably not safe and as soon as you hear those words with a neck injury you back right off,” he said.
“I’ll listen to the doctor and put my health first.”
Morris says his two-week crash course on being an NRL assistant coach has been an “invaluable” experience.
He’s ridden the highs of Cronulla’s record comeback win against the Sydney Roosters and the lows of a capitulation against Newcastle.
Cronulla’s board are still looking at the possibility of bringing in a coach to take the reins for the remainder of the season, but captain Paul Gallen and senior player Wade Graham have both come out and said they’d like to see the club stick with Shepherd for the rest of the year.