Cronulla Sharks

Having now lost two games in a row after going down to Wigan in the World Club Challenge and kept scoreless by Melbourne in Round 1, Ivan Cleary's Panthers will be desperate to get back to their winning ways when they meet with their Western Sydney rivals.

Conceding nine penalties and coughing up 12 errors, the Panthers will welcome back hooker Mitch Kenny into the starting side and ensure the three-time premiership winning spine is back to the well-oiled machine we know come Friday.

The Bulldogs however were not able to match it with the Eels in front of another sold out crowd at CommBank Stadium, with their new recruits, including captain Stephen Crichton and halfback Drew Hutchinson, still needing some time together to gel.

Despite being scoreless at half-time to trail 14-0, the Bulldogs fought their way back to a 12-point deficit with 10 minutes to play to show some fight before succumbing to the 26-8 loss. 

Across an 80 minutes in which they had to overcome the second-half sin-binning of captain James Tedesco and the loss of backline stars Joseph Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaali'i to injuries, the Roosters charged down two field goals in the dying minutes which would likely have sent the game to golden point, after Walker had put them in front with a clutch drop goal. 

Making it all the more impressive, Walker was playing through an ankle injury which earlier in the game had him in visible discomfort. 

After the Broncos' win over the Roosters on Thursday night they went to the top for 48 hours but the defending champs flexed their muscle at BlueBet Stadium to put themselves in poll position for a third minor premiership in four years.

Five minutes into the game the Panthers took the lead when a Nathan Cleary grubber rebounded to Scott Sorensen who found Jarome Luai and the five-eighth plunged over to score.

Penrith celebrated the return of Nathan Cleary with a comfortable 44-18 victory over the Bulldogs in Round 21 but across town in the Sutherland Shire was where the Sharks' season was put on the ropes by the Sea Eagles.

After winning three-straight and being well-placed for a top four finish last month, back-to-back losses has suddenly put Craig Fitzgibbon's side in a delicate spot on the ladder with rival clubs looking to leapfrog them. 

As stated by Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta, this association with Lae Biscuits is a ground breaking partnership and is set to be of great benefit to both organisations.

“The Lae Biscuit Company have been long time supporters of rugby league in PNG and we thank Ian Chow and Lae Biscuits for considering the Sharks as a viable partner as they look to spread their wings into the Australian market,” Mezzatesta began.

The mini-revival that produced three wins in four games against the Panthers, Dragons and Cowboys now seems a distant memory for the Tigers, who have lost four on the trot and conceded 150 points in the process.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have put a Round 15 horror show against the Storm behind them to run up big scores over the Bulldogs and Dragons to sit third on the ladder with nine games to play.

Six of those matches are against teams currently outside the top eight so the Sharks have every opportunity to secure a top-four finish and a double chance in the finals.

Cronulla have now won their past seven clashes with the Dragons but they found themselves behind early after a mistake by Briton Nikora invited the Red V into the red zone and Mikaele Ravalawa scored. Zac Lomax converted from the sideline for a 6-0 lead.

The Sharks steadied the ship and hit back in the eighth minute when Nicho Hynes ran a great angle off a Matt Moylan pass and the scores were locked 6-6.

Four minutes later the Sharks got across the line again through Ronaldo Mulitalo but desperation defence from Tyrell Sloan and Lomax denied the winger.

The Dragons find themselves in danger of collecting the first wooden spoon in the history of the joint venture and need a huge lift in defensive intensity if they hope to contain a potent Sharks unit that averages 26.3 points per game.

After showing signs of improvement in wins over the Roosters and Rabbitohs and a close loss to Penrith, the Red V gave up their biggest score of the season on Friday night and will be doing plenty of soul-searching ahead of a clash against a side that put 40 points on them in Round 4.

The Storm conceded an uncharacteristic 45 points to the Cowboys in Townsville to continue their inconsistent season while the Sharks were beaten by a classy Broncos outfit on home turf. 

Both sides have shared a period of dominance against each other since the 2016 grand final with Cronulla winning five of their next eight before Melbourne returned serve, winning five of the last six between the two clubs.