Bulldogs vs Sharks Preview by Dean

Both these teams lost last week and they will be hoping to return to winning ways pretty quickly. The Bulldogs were firmly put in their place against the Roosters while the Sharks got edged out in a thriller to the Dolphins. Prior to last week Canterbury were riding a three game win streak while Cronulla had lost two of their three previous matches.

If we went solely on history here, we would be backing the Sharks all day long. That’s because they have won the last nine in a row against the Bulldogs, including the last four in Canterbury. However, the Bulldogs have turned the Accor Stadium into a bit of a fortress as of late, picking up wins in their previous seven home fixtures.

That, added to the fact that the Sharks were awful last time Origin came around, means we will side with the Bulldogs with the handicap in what should be a close game.

Bet – Bulldogs +9.5 to Beat the Sharks

The historical friction between these two clubs always makes for brilliant viewing, and their previous clashes have rarely given the scoreboard operators a rest. Looking back at recent form, the Sharks put together a seriously dominant performance against the Bulldogs during their last encounter, running away with a convincing 38-16 win that completely exposed some defensive lapses. While the current tournament standings show both teams trying to steady their momentum, this next matchup shapes up completely differently. Punters dissecting the latest NRL betting odds will see a much tighter margin anticipated this time around. Our NRL Expert Tips point toward ignoring the basic head-to-head lines and focusing on the total match points instead.