Matchday Details
Saturday August 9 – 3PM (AEST) – Netstrata Jubilee Oval
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Ashley Klein | Bunker: Chris Butler
Dragons
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Mathew Feagai 5. Corey Allan 6. Lyhkan King-Togia 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Emre Guler 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Michael Molo 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Hamish Stewart 16. Hame Sele 17. Blake Lawrie 18. Hayden Buchanan 19. Ben Murdoch-Masila 20. Lachlan Ilias 21. Jacob Halangahu 22. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga
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. Toby Rudolf 16. Thomas Hazelton 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele 18. Billy Burns 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Hohepa Puru 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Samuel Stonestreet
Match Preview
Sydney’s first taste of football in round 23 kicks off with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks taking on the St George-Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Both sides claimed a victory in their last start and will be hoping they are able to get one over their local rival come the full-time siren.
The Dragons claimed one of the scalps of the season last week, as they toppled the ladder leading Canberra Raiders in some wild weather down at WIN Stadium and now find themselves in eleventh on the ladder and three wins adrift of the top eight. While on the other side, the seventh place Sharks are on a roll with four straight wins and are fighting tooth and nail to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Dragons overcame wild weather to down the Canberra Raiders to claim their seventh win of the season with an impressive show of resilience and determination. The Dragons forwards can hold their heads high after taking the fight to the Raiders and will need to recreate their efforts against another strong forward pack as they go toe-to-toe with the boys from Cronulla. Key middles Jack De Belin and David Klemmer will have their work cut out for them if they hope to get the upper hand over Addin Fonua-Blake and Co.
After a below par performance against the Bunnies the week before, the Sharks put in a much improved-effort against the Cowboys last week, putting on 32 points with a more complete effort overall but it was once again Cronulla rake Blayke Brailey who was the star of the show. Brailey’s impact on his sides fortunes is immense, with the hooker now creating six try assists in his past four games, all of which have been victories for his side. When the Cronulla #9 is at his scheming best, the Sharks have the ability to match it with the best of them.
Speaking of crafty #9’s, the battle between Brailey and the combination of former Blues hooker Damien Cook, and livewire Jacob Liddle shapes up as the most intriguing matchup on the park. All three hookers possess incredibly threatening running games and have more than enough creativity in good attacking areas to punish lazy markers and keep defensive lines honest. If any forwards are able to get the ball free with one of these guys sniffing around the ruck, it could spell real trouble.
The Sharks have blown the Dragons off the park in their last ten encounters, having claimed victory in all ten including a 30-18 result in round 15. In squad news, the Dragons come into this matchup with the same 17 as they fielded in round 22 while the Sharks have made only one change, with Toby Rudolph coming into the side in place of Jesse Colquhoun.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Sharks by 6
See our full Round 23 Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL Tipping: Round 23 Writer Predictions
Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll.
