Second Elimation Final: North Qld Cowboys Vs Cronulla Sharks 7:45 Saturday 19th September 1300 Smiles Stadium

[Napolean]

I don't like the media hyping us up so much. I wish they'd stop. If we win they'll hype us even more and we'll go into the Storm match with air in our heads and get flattened. If we don't win all the hype just makes us fall back to earth even harder.

I'm stoked the boys made it this far. In 2013 I felt the same, and when we just lost to Manly in week 2 without Toddy I went to bed content with the season, and happy we stuck it to the big boys up until the final whistle. This year if we lose I'll keep replaying in my head all those bloody articles talking about the Sharks 48 year drought and how this year's the year etc etc. All this hype has made me EXPECT more dammit.

In saying that, we have a good shot at the prelims this year. Cowboys aren't all they are cracked up to be and I think with our team at full strength if we play like last week we will get up in a close one. We've got the forwards to match and the backs to excite and we have shown all year that you don't necessarily need a kicking game to win matches. Just get Ennis close to the line and get our boys running good lines and no one can stop us.

I hope that someone taps you on the shoulder with good news on Saturday Chad.

 

[BlackWhiteBlue]

i have no problem with it. Id rather the positivity in the media than us entering games with he media having us beaten.

Everyone believes we are as good a chance as the cows. ill take that

 

[Sharkyle]

I honestly have no idea what way it will go Saturday night... On one side I'm thinking well we beat them twice, we played well last week and our form is better. Then on the other hand I Look at their team and all their strike players, their home ground advantage, their 11 game winning streak earlier in the year.... I just have no idea what to expect

We could get steamrolled, we could stream roll them, we could get up in a tight one and lose it in the same way. I'm nervous as hell as I want the chance to play for a grand final spot I think the club and the fans deserve it

 

[sharkyboy]

Get smashed or win.

Don't know which one yet

 

[snowman]

i'll be smashed, dont know how the game is gonna go though

 

[deano the p]

The stat that gives Cronulla halves a leg-up over Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan

JOHNATHAN Thurston shades Jeff Robson in every notable statistic in rugby league ... bar one.

And Robson is hoping that one column can give his Sharks a leg up over Thurston’s Cowboys in Saturday night’s semi final in Townsville.

The Cronulla No 7 averages more tackles per game than the three-time Dally M winner.

And Sharks five-eighth Jack Bird is streets ahead of both of them in the same category.

It’s that defensive edge that Robson is banking on heading into the do-or-die eliminator match.

“He’s a quality footballer and he’s someone we’re really going to have to do our homework on this week,” Robson said of Thurston.

“I think we really have to win the ruck through the middle of the field, that will be our first goal.

“That sort of nullifies what Thurston and (Michael) Morgan and (Lachlan) Coote can do off the back of it.

“Definitely have to defend well and win the ruck.”

The Sharks halves have gone largely unheralded this year — a 33-year-old NRL journeyman and a 20-year-old rookie.

But Robson and Bird have led the club to the second week of finals, just 12 months after collecting another wooden spoon.

It would be something special to knock the Cowboys off on their home turf this weekend.

“We generally play pretty well against the Cowboys,” Robson said.

“But what you do earlier in the season counts for nothing in these semi finals.

“They will be looking to bounce back after last week, and JT and those guys will be out to prove a point.”

Robson, meantime, continues to hunt for a contract past 2015.

He is yet to agree to terms of an extension with the Sharks and admits the door is closing on the possibility of remaining in the Shire.

“My manager is doing all the work there, I’m just hoping to get something sorted so its not leading into the grand final,” he said.

“I’ll still be playing next year, whether it be here or somewhere else.”

The Warriors are believed to have tabled an offer to the veteran playmaker, and it is understood the club wants an answer by the end of the week.

Thank god our halves average more tackles.

That part is promising though.

 

[CrankyShark]

I am extremely calm about this game. But not because I think we're going to win. I think it's because I am not confident at all about our chances. However, I have felt this way before and found my feelings to be totally wrong and we've managed to win.

I know we've beaten the Cowboys twice this year. But this is the one that really matters. If we lose on Saturday night, no one will care that we beat them twice.
It's good to know the players are excited about travelling up there and have no fears about the Cowboys or the trip to Townsville itself.

I know we match them in the 3/4 line. I know we match them in the forwards. But as Snowy said in a previous post, it's the 6 and 7 we need to worry about.
JT is the one that concerns us all. How do you stop him? Simple answer is that you don't. You have to stop the players around him. Limit their opportunities and get them to resort to desperation. This is where mistakes can happen.

It's an old cliche but we need to come out of the blocks fast on Saturday night. The Cowboys game against the Broncos would have taken a lot out of them but the humidity up there will take a lot out of us.
If we can hold our own in the first half, hopefully the lack of petrol from the Cowboys will help us finish the stronger.

We need to be at our best. Nothing less will do. Flanno has to spot on with his bench rotation. Our back three need to be solid and catch those bloody bombs. We need to complete our sets and limit Robbo's kicking.
In fact, I don't want to see him kick at all, unless it's a grubber to get a repeat set. Let Ennis kick, Bird kick, hell even Wade kick before Robbo does. And those kicks have to find grass.

I'll be at our soccer presentation Saturday night so I'm not sure how much of the game I'll get to see. It'll probably be on one of the big screens but I'm not sure I want to watch it. I'd much rather take little glances every now and then. Yes, that's the chicken's way out but I don't care. All I want is for someone to tap me on the shoulder around 9pm and say, "Hey Chad, the Sharks won."

This is how we beat them last time. In the first half they never got much closer than the 40m line in attack, too far away for Thurston to weave his magic.

We did that by playing near perfect footy though with Ennis kicking out of his skin in that first half. That is the best way for us to contain JT I reckon. We need to do it again, no small order though.

Most kicking needs to be left to Ennis. Wade shouldn't be kicking ahead of Robbo, he is actually worse than him.

 

[hitman124]

The majority of the pressure really is on the cows, being dominant on the ladder for most of the year, they'd hate to go out in straight sets at home.

 

[goodbyepenrithhellosharks]

Thank god our halves average more tackles.

That part is promising though.

finally a feel good article.....much better than all the doom and gloom.....cmon 6 and 7 ...you can do this

 

[Tank]

Start holidays tmoz for two weeks. What a great way to kick off my break with a win over this lot.

 

[HITMAN]

Quiet in here. Hopefully the calm before the storm.
Ive started the drive up, booing every Cowboys billboard/flag we pass.

 

[Beejay]

Thank god our halves average more tackles.

That part is promising though.

That's positive...even though many a straw was clutched by the person writing that

 

[Thresher]

Quiet in here. Hopefully the calm before the storm.
Ive started the drive up, booing every Cowboys billboard/flag we pass.

Wonder how many Sharkies fans will be in the crowd.

Have a good trip, hope you're celebrating a win up there on Sat night.

 

[Bundy Shark]

Quiet in here. Hopefully the calm before the storm.
Ive started the drive up, booing every Cowboys billboard/flag we pass.

Enjoy mate, hopefully the boys get the choccies & make your trip worth it.

 

[HITMAN]

What we lack in numbers we should make up for in passion. It takes a special breed to support our mob deep behind enemy lines.

 

[HaroldBishop]

This is how we beat them last time. In the first half they never got much closer than the 40m line in attack, too far away for Thurston to weave his magic.

We did that by playing near perfect footy though with Ennis kicking out of his skin in that first half. That is the best way for us to contain JT I reckon. We need to do it again, no small order though.

Most kicking needs to be left to Ennis. Wade shouldn't be kicking ahead of Robbo, he is actually worse than him.

I think Wade should kick ahead of Robbo but only from inside our 40 otherwise it's likely to go dead.

 

[Thresher]

I'm getting nervous now.

This must mean that I think we're in with a chance.

 

[Sir Chadley]

I'm getting nervous now.

This must mean that I think we're in with a chance.

You see mate, I'm the opposite because I'm not confident at all. But then again I'm a nervous nellie and the ultimate pessimist. Just ask Evertonshark - we can be 24 points up with 20 to go and I won't be relaxed.

 

[stormshark]

Hoping for a win, preparing for another Heartbreaker.

 

[creg]

I'm not confident. But ****. Could you imagine the look on those miserable pricks faces if we knocked them out of he finals again? That would almost be better than the win.