Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks Prediction: Titans to maintain playoff charge

The Gold Coast Titans will hope to maintain their play-off hopes on Friday when they welcome the Cronulla Sharks to the Cbus Super Stadium (09:00 BST).

Des Hasler’s Titans team have found their groove in recent weeks to move up to 11th place in the NRL, but they are still four points behind the top eight with five games to go.

Cronulla are well positioned in fourth, but Craig Fitzgibbon’s side men have been largely inconsistent in recent weeks. Below you can find my Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks prediction. 

Team News

Titans ace Beau Fermor will sit out this week due to kidney bruising, and he is replaced by Klese Haas.

AJ Brimson will hope to feature off the bench, having recovered from a groin injury last week.

Sharks coach Fitzgibbon has been forced into making changes, with Braydon Trindall out with a hamstring injury, while Teig Wilton will also miss the game due to hamstring tightness.

Sifa Talakai will get the chance to shine from the off while Billy Burns takes his place on the bench.

Rather than make a like-for-like replacement for Trindall, Fitzgibbon has moved Blayke Brailey to halfback, while skipper Cameron McInnes moves into hooker and Jack Williams will start at lock.

Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks Odds

Gold Coast are the 8/15 favourites for Friday’s encounter, with the draw 20/1, while Cronulla are 8/5 to pick up the two points on their travels.

The Titans are 1/1 to cover the -6 handicap, while they are 4/6 to win the first half on home soil.

Those that fancy a high-scoring game can back over 51.5 points at 10/11.

Gold Coast Titans to score the first try & win the match @ 11/8  

The Titans have started to click as the 2024 NRL campaign comes to a close, with Hasler’s team winning five of their last six.

One of those victories came against the Sharks, with Gold Coast running out 20-16 winners at the start of July.

A Gold Coast win and for them to score the first try has been boosted and it looks like good value, especially when the Sharks have conceded the first try in four of their last five matches.

Gold Coast Titans – 6 @ 1/1 

While the Sharks have not lost at the Cbus Super Stadium since 2017, they have lost their way of late, losing six of their last nine in the NRL.

The Titans have won four of their past five matches at home, and it is that recent momentum that is difficult to ignore.

Gold Coast have the chance to win any game with winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira in their ranks, and he has scored 10 tries in his past six games and remains the top try scorer in the league with 20 efforts to his name.

While Cronulla only lost by four to the Titans in July, the injury to Trindall will have a big effect on their team, especially with Fitzgibbon shuffling a few of his team around the park, so the hosts should cover the handicap on Friday.

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