Sunday will consist of two NRL Round 7 matches with the second of those being between Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs which will be played at Bluetongue Stadium at 3pm local time. The away team Canterbury Bulldogs will start the match as favourites although on paper it looks to be a close game. View our live scores, odds and results for the game between Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs.
WHERE AND WHEN: Bluetongue Stadium, Sunday @ 1500
Cronulla Sharks $2.00 vs Canterbury Bulldogs $1.83 at Sportsbet Australia
Cronulla Sharks $2.15 vs Canterbury Bulldogs $1.72 at Luxbet Australia
Preview:
The Sharks take on the Bulldogs on Sunday at 3.00pm at Bluetongue Stadium, with both teams not exactly setting the world on fire so far in 2013. Cronulla-Sutherland are playing better than Canterbury however, who are last on the table and already three wins outside the six. If nothing else, both teams will be desperate for the points in this match, with the Sharks boosted by the return of Todd Carney and the Bulldogs’ Ben Barba needing to prove himself before its too late.
Teams:
Cronulla Sharks:
Michael Gordon, Nathan Stapleton, Ben Pomeroy, Jonathan Wright, Beau Ryan, Todd Carney, Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, John Morris, Ben Ross, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Paul Gallen (c)
Interchange: Chris Heighington, Jayson Bukuya, Isaac De Gois, Anthony Tupou, Sam Tagataese (one to be omitted).
Canterbury Bulldogs:
Ben Barba, Mitch Brown, Josh Morris, Tim Lafai, Sam Perrett, Josh Reynolds, Trent Hodkinson, Aiden Tolman, Michael Ennis (c), Martin Taupau, Tony Williams, Josh Jackson, Greg Eastwood
Interchange: Dene Halatau, Dale Finucane, Tim Browne, Frank Pritchard, David Klemmer (one to be omitted).
NRL’s Bulldogs not in crisis: Ennis
The boss is jumping ship and rumours of player unrest refuse to die, but Canterbury skipper Michael Ennis is adamant the last-placed Bulldogs are not in crisis.
News of chief executive Todd Greenberg’s impending departure to be the NRL’s new head of football could not have come at a worse time – last year’s minor premiers with just one win from their first six games.
It’s not much better off the field – the standing down of star fullback Ben Barba to deal with personal issues followed by a rash of rumours suggesting he and several other players wanted out of Belmore.
Ennis however is buying none of it and insisted some wins would quickly end all the speculation.
“Absolutely not, no,” Ennis said when asked if the NRL club was in crisis.
“… (to) hear some of the things that people have spoken about certain players wanting to go to different clubs or whatever – everyone in our playing group is happy.
“The friendships that are in amongst this team, people don’t understand that externally.
“I know firsthand that these players in our playing group want to be here and they want to play for the Bulldogs.”
“We just need some results on the field and we’ll move forward.”
Barba, who has been a shadow of the player who took the NRL by storm in 2012, has been linked with a move to Brisbane.
Asked if he had confronted the troubled No.1 over the rumours, Ennis said: “I don’t need to.
“I know Ben and I know Ben’s really appreciative of what the club’s done for him over the last few months.
“He’s never shown any sign of wanting to play anywhere else … I don’t need to front him.”
Centre Josh Morris rejected speculation he’d asked the club for a release to return to his junior club St George Illawarra.
“Never, ever have I once asked for a release,” Morris said.
“I’ve been getting texts left, right and centre from my mates coming up with the most ridiculous rumours possible.
“These rumours have all come about while we’ve been in this losing patch.
“We need to get a win this weekend and hopefully those rumours start to go away.”
With Greenberg’s dominant persona soon to be transferred to Rugby League Central, much of the leadership vacuum will no doubt fall on the shoulders of coach Des Hasler.
Even those two couldn’t escape the gossip-mongers, with suggestions they were involved in a power struggle at the club.
Hasler admitted the loss of Greenberg – considered the game’s leading club administrator – would leave a big hole to fill.
“Losing someone of the calibre of Todd is probably the biggest disappointment for the club,” Hasler said.
“But they’ll find someone and life’s got to go on, so it shouldn’t affect the football.”
Of the rumours threatening to destabilise his club, Hasler said: “It’s rumours – it’s just that.
“I’m not on the social Twitter and I don’t profess to be an expert in that but I guess in the social media that’s where a lot of it comes from.
“It’s certainly not what goes on here, so I haven’t got time nor the energy to buy into the rumour mill.”