Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors Preview & Tips – Sharks to win big in NRL Round 26
The Sharks have found their mojo again after a midseason slump, winning 5 of their past 6 games. This stat can be a little luring though heading into the finals with the only victory against top eight teams during that span was last week against the eighth-placed Dragons 38-10
The positive way to look at it is that they have done it the right way averaging just 8 points against in their 5 wins with a highest score against of 18. Their attack has also been firing with an average team total of 35.8 in their past 5 wins.
Craig Fitzgibbon has reverted back to a faster pace in their attack which was clearly on show last week against the Dragons. Cronulla moved the ball down the field with ease with quick play the balls that racked up 500 more run metres than the Dragons.
The Warriors season will come to an end on Saturday and unfortunately for their hero Shaun Johnson it won’t be on the end of a finals run. New Zealand have lost 8 of their past 10 games and have been out of contention for a while.
The Warriors coughed up an early 12-0 lead against the Bulldogs last weekend in Johnson’s farewell game in New Zealand with Canterbury wearing down the home team the longer the game just as they have done to their opponents all season.
For New Zealand it was a season that showed so much promise, but with constant injuries and lacking the same intensity in defence that they had in 2023, they never looked like a contender.
