Someone’s winning ways will come to a halt when the Cronulla Sharks and Penrith Panthers square off in their highly intriguing round 9 NRL showdown on Saturday. With both teams riding the wave of identical three-game winning streaks, it’s time to find out whether the Sharks are the pick to take care of business at home or whether the Panthers are the pick to get it done on the road. Let’s preview one of the upcoming matches so you can make your bets against their NRL odds.
NRL Panthers Vs Sharks Round 9
Why Bet On The Sharks
Cronulla is sitting in seventh place in the NRL standings with eight points. The Sharks have scored 186 points this season while allowing 158 points defensively (+28). Cronulla-Sutherland has gone 1-2 at home and 3-2 on the road this season. More importantly, Cronulla hasn’t lost since round 5, and comes into this affair riding the wave of a solid three-game winning streak that includes a 40-10 spanking of the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday. Seven different players scored tries for the Sharks as Braden Hamlin-Uele, Andrew Fifita, Briton Nikora, Blayke Brailey, Chad Townsend, Royce Hunt and Bryson Goodwin got on the board. Shaun Johnson went a nearly perfect 6 for 7 on conversions and the Sharks stepped on the gas pedal in the second half after entering the break up just 12-10. Now, heading into round 9, Matt Moylan is out of the lineup with a hamstring injury. Josh Dugan moves to fullback and Bryson Goodwin will move to center. Ronaldo Mulitalo is back from injury on the wing. Andrew Fifita has again been named to start, likely in place of Braden Hamlin-Uele. Mammoth-sized winger Nene Macdonald has again been included in the reserves.
Why Bet On The Panthers
Penrith is sitting in second place in the NRL standings with 13 points, now, just one point behind league-leading Parramatta. The Panthers have scored 162 points this season while allowing 110 points defensively (+52). Penrith has gone a perfect 4-0 at home this season and 2-1 on the road. Penrith comes into this clash having won three straight and four of their last five including a hard-fought 19-12 road win over the Wests Tigers on Saturday. Stephen Crichton scored a pair of tries to lead the way to victory while Dylan Edwards added another try in the win. Nathan Cleary went a perfect 3 for 3 on conversions to help seal the deal. Now, heading into round 9, winger Brian To’o is out with an ankle injury. Dean Whare moves back to center and Brent Naden shifts to the flank. Panthers center Stephen Crichton has scored four tries in his past three games.
General Match Info Penrith Panthers (6-1-1) vs. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (4-0-4)
- When: Saturday, July 11, 20202 at 12:00 AM AEST
- Where: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
- Panthers Vs Sharks Live: Nine/Fox Sports
- Handicap: Panthers -5.5
- Money Lines: Sharks +154 / Panthers -192
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Sharks have won seven of their past eight meetings against the Panthers, but they had their winning ways in this rivalry come to an abrupt halt by falling to Penrith 26-20 the last time they met on August 9, 2019. Not only that, but right now, the Panthers are definitely the far better defensive team in this matchup, having allowed just 110 points to the Sharks’ 158 points allowed. Penrith has limited each of their last six opponents to 16 points or less while doing so seven times in eight games this season overall.
With the Sharks going a modest 1-2 at home and the Panthers owning a polar-opposite 2-1 road mark, I like Penrith to get the hard-fought road win in this matchup of top 8 teams. Cronulla-Sutherland won’t simply roll over and they look like they could cover the chalk as a 5.5-point home dog. In the end though, the Panthers get the outright road win to cash in as a moneyline pick!
Pick: Panthers 26 Sharks 22
Telstra Premiership 2020 Round 9 Matches
- Roosters vs Cowboys – Thursday 9th July, 05:50 AM | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
- Warriors vs Titans – Friday 10th July, 04:00 AM | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- Wests Tigers vs Rabbitohs – Friday 10th July, 05:55 AM | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
- Bulldogs vs Broncos – Saturday 11th July, 03:30 AM | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Storm vs Raiders – Saturday 11th July, 05:35 AM | GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Eels vs Knights – Sunday 12th July, 02:05 AM | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
- Sea Eagles vs Dragons – Sunday 12th July, 04:30 AM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
