Sharks v Raiders: Hynes slides to fullback; Elliott out for Raiders

The Sharks head to Magic Round sitting comfortably in fourth spot and on a high after overcoming the send-off of Will Kennedy to down the Warriors.

Such was their composure and faith in their systems that they rarely seemed troubled in defence despite having 12 men for 63 minutes and going down to 11 men when Jesse Ramien was sin binned in the second half.

The Raiders got back on track with a win over the Bulldogs but know they'll need to go to another level if they're to make it two on the bounce.

When these sides met in round one, a late try to Hudson Young gave the Green Machine a 24-19 win over the Sharks in Canberra.

The Rundown
Team news

Sharks: Nicho Hynes has been named to start at fullback with Will Kennedy suspended and Braydon Trindall is the new halfback. Connor Tracey moves to the centres to replace Jesse Ramien, who is also suspended.

Cameron McInnes has been named on the bench after starting at lock and Dale Finucane shifts back to No.13. Royce Hunt has been added to the bench and Andrew Fifita goes to the reserves.

Raiders: Tom Starling moves from the bench to hooker, with Zac Woolford promoted to the interchange after Adam Elliott was ruled out when the team was updated 24 hours before kick-off. Seb Kris moves from the bench to the starting side to replace Jarrod Croker (shoulder) in the centres and Xavier Savage joins the interchange bench in the only change to the side. Harry Rushton could be a late inclusion for Savage on the bench if Ricky Stuarts opts for a four-forward rotation.

Key match-up
Braydon Trindall v Brad Schneider: With Nicho Hynes going to fullback there's plenty of pressure on Trindall to take the reins and keep the Sharks machine rolling. Trindall's five appearances in 2022 have all been off the bench and now he takes over from one of the NRL's form playmakers. Schneider has done an admirable job in Canberra after being handed the keys when Jamal Fogarty suffered a knee injury and he continues to grow in confidence. The 21-year-old more than holds his own in defence as well and can expect plenty of traffic coming his way at Suncorp.

 

Stat attack
The Raiders' completion rate of 71 per cent is the equal lowest in the competition along with the Rabbitohs. The Sharks are completing at 76 per cent, ninth best in the NRL.

 

Story first published on NRL.com

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NRL.com