If Canberra intend to continue their pickpocketing ways – and steal Paul Gallen’s thunder – then they have another thing coming.
That’s the message Sharks star Josh Dugan has for his former NRL club ahead of Gallen’s emotional farewell at PointsBet Stadium on Sunday.
A sellout crowd is expected to say goodbye to arguably the club’s greatest player, who will hang up the boots at the end of the season.
Victory would not only give the 38-year-old the send-off he craves, but also clinch a fifth straight finals appearance for the club.
However rival captain Josh Hodgson, the league’s biggest thief in one-on-one strips, will also look to run off with two points that could cement a top-four finish.
Dugan revealed the Sharks had done plenty of work on the Raiders’ thieving ways, and warned their unique strategy could backfire one day.
“We’ve spoken about it a little bit, just how good they have been with the strips. But we’ve also seen that it can be a weakness if they don’t get it,” he said.
“They’re falling off tackles and guys end up making 10-15 more metres if they don’t get the strip. It’s a live-and-die by the sword (situation).
“We’re going to be ready for it but at the same time we’re going to be looking to play our game.”
The strip has added a new element in the game this year, with a rule change enabling Canberra’s tactic.
While the change has divided opinion, Sharks prop Aaron Woods is a fan.
“That’s the way to attack when you’re defending. I reckon it’s pretty cool,” he said.
Woods admitted the Sharks had done drills this week on figuring out the Raiders’ pinching methods.
Meanwhile, Dugan will start at fullback for a second straight game after Matt Moylan failed in his bid to return from a hamstring injury.
The Raiders have included Bailey Simonsson on the wing after losing Joseph Leilua to suspension.
STATS THAT MATTER
* Cronulla are aiming for five straight wins at PointsBet Stadium for the first time since their premiership triumph in 2016.
* Thirty-five of the 70 tries the Sharks have conceded have come down the centre of the field – easily the most in the NRL.
* Paul Gallen has won 91 games, scored 28 tries, made 25,172 metres from 3,177 runs and made 4,436 tackles in 167 games at Cronulla’s spiritual home.