Cronulla Sharks

The opening game of round three is packed with intriguing storylines and WIN Stadum is sure to come alive as Fityz's Sharks and Anthony Griffin's Dragons both go in search of a second win for the season.

The Sharks have played in two thrillers - going down to Canberra at the death in round one and then snatching victory in the final minute against the Eels in round two.

The Dragons followed an impressive opening win over the Warriors with a gutsy performance against the premiers, copping some tough calls on their way to a 20-16 loss at Netstrata Jubilee.

These two clubs have produced some epic contests over the years and the Sharks' home ground is sure to be rocking as they look to post their first win of 2022 and deny Parramatta back-to-back victories.

New recruits Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes had some nice moments in the narrow loss to the Green Machine and they'll have big roles to play if Cronulla are to subdue one of the premiership heavyweights.

Wighton grabbed the opening try of the night and played a key role in the match-winner as the game went to the wire in a pulsating second half.

After dominating possession for the opening eight minutes the Raiders capitalised through Wighton, combining down the left side with Nick Cotric to post the opening four-pointer.

Some of the gloss was taken off the Green Machine's flying start with hooker Josh Hodgson forced from the field inside the first 10 minutes with a knee injury.

Canberra are without star recruit Jamal Fogarty and skipper Jarrod Croker while the Sharks are in a similar boat with Cam McInnes and Wade Graham sidelined.

The Friday twilight clash will also be the first in the NRL coaching career of new Sharks mentor Craig Fitzgibbon.

The rundown
Team news
Raiders: After debuting in round 11 last year against the Storm, Brad Schneider is back for his second NRL game, taking the halfback role in the absence of Jamal Fogarty (knee).

Braydon Trindall opened the scoring after a poor Jayden Okunbor offload but star recruit Matt Burton levelled up with an excellent run through the Sharks' right-side defence.

Nicho Hynes produced a nice pass for Briton Nikora's angled run to the line in the 22nd minute before Royce Hunt cashed in on a Tevita Pangai jnr penalty and sin bin to crash his way over in the 31st.

Will Kennedy made it 24-0 at the break cleaning up after Ronaldo Mulitalo tapped back a Trindall bomb. 

The 25-year-old was the feel-good story of 2021 and the living proof of perseverance paying off.

Now, he’s settled into his new home in Cronulla, across the road from the beach — a perk for the Central Coast product — with his best mate. And as for his new club?

“I’m loving it,” Hynes told Foxsports.com.au.

Everything has fallen into place for Hynes. He enjoyed a breakout season for the Storm, was included in the New South Wales extended squad for Origin III and became a marquee signing for the Sharks.

Touted as an early contender for the premiership, Canberra must beat the Roosters on Thursday and hope the Sharks lose against Melbourne on Friday to ensure the simplest of passages to finals football.

Canberra and Cronulla could both lose, but The Green Machine would need the Storm to rack up a big score to bring them back into finals contention.

The Storm have rested seven players from last week’s loss to Parramatta against a Sharks side that’s in poll position.

“If you’ve earned the position of rest players this week, well good on you,” Stuart said.

While McInnes's future has been the subject of much consternation over the past month, NRL.com understands the Sharks have snuck under their traditional rivals' nose with a lengthy deal worth around $500,000 a season for the St George Illawarra skipper.

No comment has been made by Cronulla or the Dragons at this stage.

McInnes informed teammates of his departure on Tuesday morning after negotiations with the Sharks began before Christmas.

Josh Morris, 33, was reported to have requested a move to the Roosters to play alongside his brother Brett.

Sharks coach John Morris confirmed the veteran was considering his options, but ruled out a move for the New South Wales representative.

"There was an enquiry there around Josh's side and I think our fans and members deserve the full truth," he told the NRL website.

The visiting Cowboys led 8-4 at the interval but were undone by two tries in the space of four minutes, as Shaun Johnson played a key role with hands and boot.

The Sharks had won the previous two meetings with the Cowboys and six of the past eight, but they fell behind three minutes in when Scott Drinkwater sprinted clear to score.

Ronaldo Mulitalo levelled after 36 minutes from Johnson's pass, but Matthew Scott restored the Cowboys' advantage just three minutes later, powering through a defensive blockade to spin and dot down just before the interval.