The second game on Friday for NRL round 9 is between Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7.35pm with the game to be played at Allianz Stadium. The favourite for the match is away team Cronulla Sharks who have been well supported in the market. View our preview and teams for the game between Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks.

Allianz Stadium

Featured Bookmakers:

Wests Tigers $2.60 vs Cronulla Sharks $1.50 at Sportsbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Wests Tigers $2.65 vs Cronulla Sharks $1.50 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison by NRL Odds:

Wests Tigers	2.60	2.50	2.65	2.50	2.60	2.63
Cronulla Sharks	1.50	1.53	1.50	1.53	1.50	1.51

Preview:

The second of Friday night’s games has the injury ravished West Tigers taking on the Sharks with both teams needing a win here to keep their sinking seasons afloat.

West Tigers have lost their last five matches and most of their starting line up in the last month.
They were brave against the Broncos two weeks back and competed well despite going down 20-10 but had no answering for the Bulldogs last week, who welcomed back several key forwards, and were handed a comprehensive 40-4 defeat.

Benji Marshall returned after a few weeks out with a foot injury but was in much need of the outing.

Having lost their previous four matches by an average of ten points, the Sharks were given little chance last week when heading to Newcastle to take on the Knights who were undefeated at home this year.

However, a committed and tenacious effort from the Sharks who trailed for most of the match saw them clinch victory in a Golden Point time 21-20.

It was a much needed win for the Sharks and they’ll need to consolidate that win here given that in the next four matches, they have to face South Sydney and Melbourne Storm in consecutive weeks.

Head to Head, the Tigers hold a dominate record of nine wins from the ten clashes between to the two sides since 2006 but the Sharks will never get a better chance to register a win over a struggling Tigers.

Teams:

Wests Tigers:
James Tedesco, Matt Utai, Joel Reddy, Tim Simona, Marika Koroibete, Benji Marshall, Curtis Sironen, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah (c), Suaso Sue, Liam Fulton, Adam Blair, Eddy Pettybourne
Interchange: Ben Murdoch-Masila, Jack Buchanan, Sean Spence, Bodene Thompson

Cronulla Sharks:
Michael Gordon, Sosaia Feki, Ben Pomeroy, Jonathan Wright, Beau Ryan, Todd Carney, Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, John Morris, Ben Ross, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Chris Heighington
Interchange: Isaac De Gois, Sam Tagataese, Jayson Bukuya, , Anthony Tupou, Mark Taufua (one to be omitted)

Gallen eager to beat injury and face Wests

Courageous NSW and Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen insisted he was a chance to play again on Friday despite suffering medial ligament damage early in Sunday’s stirring NRL 21-20 golden point upset victory over Newcastle.

Gallen left the match in the third minute after being twisted awkwardly in his first hit up, wincing in pain as the body weight of Newcastle’s 105kg back-rower Chris Houston came down on him.

But in the minutes after his victorious team returned to the sheds at Hunter Stadium, his mood had changed.

With a brace on his knee, Gallen was already trying to figure out how he could be ready to rejoin his battling team against the Wests Tigers this week.

Being in doubt for the State of Origin series starting in a month’s time was no longer in his thoughts, rather he was trying to formulate a plan to be back on the field in just five days.

“Gal’s in there at the moment making phone calls to see if he can be ready for next Friday night – that’s Gal’s attitude,” said Sharks coach Shane Flanagan.

“He’ll be getting hyperbaric chambers, he’ll be swinging off trees to get ready.

“Origin is not a problem for Gal.

“… We’ve got a short turnaround so I wouldn’t think he’d be right for Friday night, but it’s Gal so we never know.”

Meanwhile rookie NSW coach Laurie Daley faces an anxious wait – along with the Sharks – for the results of scans Gallen will have on the injured knee on Monday.

Already tasked with the enormous mission of preventing Queensland from winning their eighth-straight Origin series, Daley could ill afford to be without his skipper and toughest forward.

It was a fate which predecessor Ricky Stuart dealt with last year, when Gallen spent the lead-up to the opening Origin clash with an injury cloud hanging over his head as he recovered from a posterior cruciate ligament injury in the same knee.

“It’s different to last year. It’s a different feeling,” Gallen said of his injury.

“They think it’s my medial ligament rather than my posterior cruciate which is good.

“If you want to do any of them, I suppose you want to do that one.”

Gallen planned to spend much of the week in a hyperbaric chamber to give him the best chance of facing the Tigers.

The 31-year-old likened his predicament to that of the Gold Coast’s Albert Kelly, who last month suffered a knee injury which he feared could sideline him for months – only to play the following week.

“Who knows … it’s not too sore to be honest,” he said.

The air of optimism on Gallen’s injury only sweetened the mood of Flanagan who delighted in his side snapping a four-game losing streak with their dramatic golden point victory over Newcastle.

Another man certain to be walking around with a smile on his face this week will be Sydney Roosters centre Michael Jennings.

Shunned by Penrith for much of last season before being released late in the pre-season, Jennings returned to haunt his former teammates with a two-try effort in the Roosters’ 30-6 mauling at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

In Auckland, the Warriors clung to a thrilling 25-24 victory over a fast-finishing Gold Coast, but may have lost exciting fullback Kevin Locke to a potentially serious back problem.