Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks Predictions: 7/1 Sharks to edge 1-2 clash

The two best-performing teams in the NRL Premiership come face-to-face on Saturday as the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks meet at AAMI Park (kick-off 10:35 BST, 19:35 local – live on Sky Sports Arena) having come into the weekend as the competition’s top two sides.

Craig Fitzgibbon takes his league-leading Sharks down to Victoria knowing that the mettle of his booming outfit will be tested like never before as they look to continue their bright start. My Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks predictions won’t have this pair too far apart.

Team News

Let’s get one thing out of the way… The ‘Honey Badger’ Nick Cummins won’t be lining up for the Storm after this week’s bizarre ‘unveiling’ of the former Wallabies rugby union player in what is likely to be revealed at a later date as a PR stunt for club sponsor Tradie, of which Cummins is an ambassador.

But coach Craig Bellamy, who the club confirmed on Thursday will continue in charge for 2025, will call upon young Sualauvi Fa’alogo at full-back due to an injury to Ryan Papenhuyzen, with Grant Anderson replacing Fa’alogo on the wing, while Jahrome Hughes’ absence will see Tyran Wishart step in at seven.

For the visitors, Royce Hunt replaces Toby Rudolf among the bench options as Fitzgibbon’s only change from the side which saw off the Dragons in round nine.

Cronulla to win by 1-5 points @ 7/1

There is value to be had in the winning margins market for this game, largely because it is such a tight game to call.

The Storm have home advantage at an AAMI Park venue which can be the toughest place to go to in the whole NRL when Melbourne are challenging at the top. Yet if there is one team that look equipped to beat them on their own soil so far this season it is the Sharks.

Other than back-to-back 36-22 and 34-22 victories over the Raiders and the Rabbitohs – plus the aberration that was their 32-6 hammering by the Wests Tigers which preceded it, the Sharks have been as stingy as any team in recent memory, so if Fitzgibbon can get his defence ticking again this week they stand every chance.

And in Nicho Hynes they have one of the absolute superstars of the game on his day. If the scrum-half is on the top of his form, that should take the Storm most of the way to victory.

But they are unlikely to blow away the Storm either, so there’s no way I’m going to go for a big margin. And with both teams available at 7/1 to win by five or fewer, I’m falling on the side of Cronulla to break their 2023 jinx of failing against the top four clubs.

Total Points Under 36.5 @ 6/4

As mentioned previously, I don’t think there will be loads in it, and it won’t a you-score, we-score tussle either.

That’s why I’m going for the 6/4 price for under 36.5 total points, with both clubs able to duke out low-scoring affairs. The Storm have been involved in four sub-36-point contests in eight matches so far, with the Sharks playing in three such games.

So the 6/4 odds and the 40% implied probability come with them are a bit too tempting for me.

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