Sydney Roosters vs. Cronulla Sharks

A tough test looms for the Sydney Roosters as they host top four aspirants the Cronulla Sharks in what should be a tight and physical affair. Join us for live scores and commentary from 7.30pm AEST.
The Roosters and Sharks have each won their past two matches and lock horns tonight in a battle that could have huge ramifications for both teams regarding their top four aspirations.
A win for Sydney would further stamp their place inside the top two tonight, and with that, the chance to host a home final come September.
A Cronulla victory meanwhile would see the Sharks once again overtake Manly inside the top four temporarily.
With plenty on the line tonight, this contest should be played at a finals like intensity given the strong form of both teams, particularly upfront.
Prediction
While the Sharks are a force to be reckoned with upfront, the absence of Origin stars Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis will hurt Cronulla’s chances of dominating a Roosters pack with its own fair share of big guns.
Sydney however are without superstar Sonny Bill Williams who is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago against the Dragons.
There are still some classic match-ups upfront with in-form Sharks forwards Andrew Fifita, Bryce Gibbs and Chris Heighington squaring off against representative stars Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Boyd Cordner.
The battle in the halves will also be intriguing with Todd Carney coming up against NSW halves Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney.
It will be interesting to see how well Pearce  plays tonight for the Roosters, given that he once again struggled to play his best for NSW en route to another series defeat against Queensland on Wednesday.
With Origin out of the way, Pearce now has to focus on guiding the Roosters to a key victory tonight and needs to be switched on to do so.
If the Roosters fail to show up with the same defensive intensity that allowed them to defeat Manly several weeks ago, the Sharks are a great chance of causing the upset, particularly if Pearce and Maloney fail to fire in attack for Sydney.
A fit and firing Roosters outfit however should possess too much attacking class for the Sharks to handle.