Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 16 clash between the Brisbane Broncos and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Brisbane Broncos Vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Date: Sunday June 22, 2pm (ADST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Josiah Karapani 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Xavier Willison 17. Jack Gosiewski 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Selwyn Cobbo 20. Jaiyden Hunt 21. Deine Mariner 22. Blake Mozer 23. Ben Talty
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Jesse Colquhoun 16. Toby Rudolf 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele 18. Billy Burns 19. Hohepa Puru 20. Niwhai Puru 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Chris Veaila
Referee: Wyatt Raymond
Bunker: Adam Gee
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Two sides with lofty top four ambitions meet face-to-face when the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks make the trip up north to take on the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos and Sharks are both entrenched in the top eight, but sit at least two wins off the pace for the current top four, and will need to string some wins together if they want to see these ambitions realised; both sides will see this match-up as the perfect springboard into the back half of the year.
The Sharks bounced back against the Dragons last week after a big loss at the hand of the Warriors the week before; they will need to be on their A-game to take down a Broncos side fresh off of the bye and with a dominant win over the Titans in their recent memory.
The Sharks were considered strong premiership contenders heading into the season, and while they sit on the edge of the top four as we head into the back half of the year, many will argue that this side still is yet to reach the heights that are expected of them. A lack of x-factor is this side’s biggest obstacle, but with a duo like Nicho Hynes and Blake Brailey leading them around the park, they have the ability to put points on in a hurry. This side will be looking to enhance their premiership credentials and a win over an in-form Broncos side would go a long way to doing just that.
Broncos firebrands Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan took the fight to each other in State of Origin on Wednesday night and will now join forces as they look to dominate a very strong Cronulla forward pack headlined by Kiwi front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake. If the duo can create some quick play-the-balls, it will create plenty of opportunities for the rest of this star-studded Broncos line-up to strut their stuff and get the scoreboard moving in the right direction.
There are mouth-watering match-ups across the park, with Staggs vs Talakai and Reynolds vs Hynes just to name a few, but the most intriguing is Walsh vs Kennedy. The gunslinger Reece Walsh is one of the most exciting players in the league when he is on form, and one of the most frustrating when he isn’t, so how he matches up with the NRL’s “Mr Consistent” Will Kennedy will go a long way to deciding this game. If Walsh has the hot hand come Sunday, it could spell real trouble for the Sharks, while if Kennedy can find his own spark in attack, the Sharks are in with more than just a chance of walking out victorious.
For the Sharks, Siosifa Talakai moves into the centres to cover for the injured Mawene Hiroti, with Toby Rudolph joining the bench, while the Broncos have named the same seventeen that downed the Titans before the bye, with Josiah Karapani again taking his place on the wing. In recent history neither side has the advantage, with both sides winning five of their last 10 clashes.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Broncos by 6 points.
Check out our round 16 predictions here.
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