Matchday Details
Friday 26 September – 7:50pm (AEST) – AAMI Park, Melbourne
📺 Broadcast: Nine / Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Ashley Klein | Bunker: Chris Butler
Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen, 2. William Warbrick, 3. Jack Howarth, 4. Nick Meaney, 5. Xavier Coates, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. Stefano Utoikamanu, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Josh King, 11. Ativalu Lisati, 12. Eliesa Katoa, 13. Trent Loiero, 14. Tyran Wishart, 15. Shawn Blore, 16. Tui Kamikamica, 17. Alec MacDonald, 18. Bronson Garlick, 19. Grant Anderson, 20. Joe Chan, 21. Jonah Pezet, 22. Sualauvi Faalogo.
Sharks
1. William Kennedy, 2. Sione Katoa, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. KL Iro, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Braydon Trindall, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Blayke Brailey, 10. Toby Rudolf, 11. Billy Burns, 12. Teig Wilton, 13. Jesse Colquhoun, 14. Briton Nikora, 15. Siosifa Talakai, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele, 18. Daniel Atkinson, 19. Mawene Hiroti, 20. Jayden Berrell, 21. Tuku Hau Tapuha, 22. Hohepa Puru.
Match Preview
The Storm play host to the Sharks on Friday night in the first mouth-watering preliminary final clash. The Storm are coming off a week’s rest after beating the Bulldogs 26-18 in week 1 of the finals. The Sharks, on the other hand, have recorded back-to-back wins against the Roosters (20-10) and Raiders (32-12) and come into the game with plenty of momentum. The recent head-to-head record is in favour of the Storm – they’ve won seven of the past 10 matchups between the sides, including a 30-6 win in round 17 this year (also at AAMI Park). However, the Sharks have also beaten the Storm this year, winning their round 11 clash 31-26 at Shark Park.
For the Storm, there’s a trio of big returns: Jahrome Hughes is named at halfback after recovering from a fractured forearm; Ryan Papenhuyzen is named at fullback after missing the Bulldogs game with concussion; and Shawn Blore is named on the bench after recovering from a fractured larynx. Nick Meaney reverts to centre and Grant Anderson, Joe Chan, and Jonah Pezet all drop to the reserves.
The perks of winning a week off to rest means the stars are aligning at the right time of year again for the Storm. With Hughes and Papenhuyzen back on deck, this will be the closest they’ve been to a full-strength side all season – a scary thought considering they managed to finish second despite missing key players throughout the year.
Now, only the Sharks stand in their way of back-to-back grand final appearances, but this is a match up the Storm will need to wary of. The Sharks have beaten them twice in the past two seasons, which has continued to fan the flames of a fierce rivalry dating back to the 2016 Grand Final. However, a big advantage for the Storm is their recent finals record at AAMI Park – they’ve won their past four finals games at home. Harry Grant has also developed a habit of scoring tries against the Sharks – he’s scored six tries in the past six games he’s played against them.
For the Sharks, Tom Hazelton is out after suffering a concussion against the Raiders last week. He’s replaced on the bench by Oregon Kaufusi. The rest of their squad remains unchanged.
They’ve been written off from the start of the finals series, but the Sharks have proven their doubters wrong thus far and find themselves on the doorstep of a grand final appearance. A key difference about them this year is the evolution of Blayke Brailey as a playmaker and leader at hooker. He’s arguably been the form hooker of the competition this year. If his running game is on, the Sharks have a real chance of matching it with the Storm forwards around the ruck. Elsewhere in the spine, all eyes will be on Nicho Hynes, who seeks to overcome the media pressure and playing against his former club to achieve finals success.
However, the key to victory for the Sharks will not be entirely how Hynes plays with ball in hand, but how they play when they don’t have it. Over the past three months, the Sharks have had the stingiest defence in the competition, only conceding an average of 14 points per game. If they want to make the grand final, they’ll need to restrict the Storm to that amount of points or less – a task that is much easier said than done.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Storm by 2.
See our full NRL Semi Final Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL: Prelim Final Writer Predictions
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