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SuperCoach NRL: Canterbury Bulldogs vs Cronulla Sharks 10 SuperCoach Winners and Losers

The Sharks might’ve gone down in golden point to the Bulldogs, but they were big winners in SuperCoach. See the 10 Winners and Losers from a dramatic Friday Night Footy.

Sean TeumaSean Teuma
@seanteuma
6 min read
June 29, 2024 - 9:54AM
Matt Burton was the hero for Canterbury with the winning field goal. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Matt Burton was the hero for Canterbury with the winning field goal. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

In a week where we’ve witnessed two State of Origin encounters, the Bulldogs and Sharks have delivered and enthralling clash to commence the NRL round.

It went to golden point and Matt Burton stepped up to the mark, slotting the winning field goal to keep the Bulldogs firmly entrenched in the top eight.

Who stood tall in SuperCoach land though?

See the Winners and Losers from a huge Friday Night Footy.

SUPERCOACH WINNERS
1. Cameron McInnes (95) - Had a try assist in the first half and earned the bulk of his points the hard way. Incredible player and a superb outing.

2. Reed Mahoney (87) - A first half try got his scoring off to a great start and finished with a massive tackle count on his way to a big score.

3. Sione Katoa (87) - Didn’t have a pleasant first half but was able to pick things up in the second and finished with a nice try as well.

4. Max King (72) - Similar to McInnes, the Bulldogs front rower put in a tradesman-like performance to give his owners a nice boost.

5. Jesse Ramien (77) - We know how strong he is and a try assist on top of two line break assists boosted his score past 75

SUPERCOACH LOSERS

1. Braydon Trindall (29) - Scored a try and finished with 29 points. Not an ideal output from a five-eighth.

2. Nicho Hynes (47) - Had a massive breakeven coming into the contest and another tough attacking night meant he didn’t get close to it.

3. Blake Taaffe (18) - Was dropped to the bench with the inclusion of Stephen Crichton. What will his role be going forward?

4. Stephen Crichton (33) - Was a late addition after Origin on Wednesday night, but he wasn’t able to have the desired impact.

5. Bronson Xerri (27) - He’s had some big games throughout the year but his involvement was down in a low-scoring encounter.

RELIVE OUR LIVE COVERAGE OF THE BULLDOGS VS SHARKS CLASH BELOW

FULL-TIME GOLDEN POINT - Bulldogs 15-14

A dropped ball from Sam Hughes gave the Sharks a great shot to win it, but Nicho Hynes sprayed the attempt from 20m out, straight in front.

From the ensuing restart, Canterbury goes downfield, gets in position and Matt Burton’s attempt hits the inside of the upright and bounces in.

What a clutch finish.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from full-time:

Canterbury vs Cronulla - top SuperCoach full-time scores
Canterbury vs Cronulla - top SuperCoach full-time scores

FULL-TIME NORMAL TIME - 14-all

We are headed to golden point.

Braydon Trindall shanked a field goal and the Sharks were penalised for a blocker.

It gave the Bulldogs one last chance at a shot, but Matt Burton strikes it wide, hitting it sweetly but wide of the posts.

76th minute - 14-all

Silly play from Toby Rudolf.

He holds Bailey Hayward off the ball after a grubber and gifts them an easy shot at goal to tie scores up.

Who will win it from here?

70th minute - Sharks 14-12

What a play from Ronaldo Mulitalo.

He takes a bomb from Braydon Trindall, gets a grubber away while still being tackled and allows Trindall to regather and touch down in the corner.

What a try, and it gives the Sharks their first lead of the night.

With 10 minutes to play, they’ve hit the front at the right time.

60th minute - Bulldogs 12-10

It hasn’t been the best night for Sione Katoa, but he comes up with one of the plays of the night.

He goes down the touchline and is able to carry Bronson Xerri over the line. Jacob Kiraz was caught ball-watching.

50th minute - Bulldogs 12-6

Cronulla starts the second half the same as the first with a dropped ball in its first set.

They’re able to defend the error this time however.

Minutes later they cop a dud call, with a missed crusher from Toby Sexton put on report in the next set.

Both teams are throwing haymakers but neither are landing.

HALFTIME - Bulldogs 12-6

The half ends with a bit of jumper grabbing but nothing serious - the good old days of a biff are well and truly over.

It was a half of two halves, if that makes sense.

Canterbury completely controlled the opening 20 minutes, but the Sharks eventually had their chances and were able to hit back.

Two key errors from the visitors led to tries to have them on the back foot early.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from halftime:

Canterbury vs Cronulla - top SuperCoach halftime scores
Canterbury vs Cronulla - top SuperCoach halftime scores

30th minute - Bulldogs 12-6

Sione Katoa copped a shin to the head in the play the ball, all accidental, but it’s one that could come under scrutiny for a HIA.

In better news for the Sharks and plenty of SuperCoaches, Briton Nikora scores their first points of the night.

He ran a beautiful line off a Cameron McInnes short ball to spin his way under the posts.

They desperately needed that.

20th minute - Bulldogs 12-0

The bad night for the Sharks continues.

Sione Katoa drops a Matt Burton bomb to let the Bulldogs have another golden opportunity to post points.

They accept the invitation with Reed Mahoney crashing over from dummy to cap a horrendous start from the one-time competition leaders.

They look awful tonight.

10th minute - Bulldogs 6-0

Horror start for the Sharks with a dropped ball in their first set and Canterbury getting the chance to attack deep in their territory.

They come up trumps after a Benny Hill moment at the back from Cronulla.

Viliame Kikau grubbered close to the line, was taken out by Nicho Hynes, both Toby Rudolf and Braydon Trindall both missed the ball and Kikau easily picks it up to open the scoring.

8PM: We are underway in a huge clash at Accor Stadium between the Bulldogs and Sharks

Who gets the two points tonight?

7.30PM: The return of Stephen Crichton means a change in position for Jacob Kiraz.

He’s spent time at fullback during the season, but interestingly has never started a game there in 2024.

It comes with the decision to drop Blake Taaffe to the bench, most likely due to Jeral Skelton (CTW $331,100) having a monster game and producing 92 SuperCoach points in the process.

How will the Lebanese international fare in his new role? The 1451 people who traded him in this week are hoping he has a blinder.

Cronulla Sharks top recent SuperCoach players
Cronulla Sharks top recent SuperCoach players

7PM: A big Friday night clash needs the big guns in action, and Canterbury have one of the most dangerous named to play.

After being placed on the extended reserves list on Tuesday, Origin star Stephen Crichton (CTW $642,200) will take his place in the centres.

He shifts Jacob Kiraz (CTW $753,000) to fullback and Blake Taaffe (FLB $392,100) drops back to the bench.

The Sharks have been given a huge boost with the return of Teig Wilton (2RF $548,300) off the interchange bench.

We’ve seen him produce some monster scores courtesy of a few meat pies throughout the season, and owners will be looking for him to hit short balls close to the line.

Canterbury Bulldogs top recent SuperCoach players
Canterbury Bulldogs top recent SuperCoach players

EARLIER: Nicho Hynes and the Sharks travel to ANZ Stadium to take on the Bulldogs in a stand-alone Friday night game and there’s plenty of SuperCoach interest in both teams.

Sharks Briton Nikora and Ronaldo Mulitalo are the most purchased players heading into the match (more on them below), but it is Hynes who will carry the most eyeballs.

The Cronulla halfback faces a break-even (BE) of 212 and while it is never wise to write off a player who has scored in excess of 150 points seven times – and over 180 three times – Hynes would seem to be up against it considering his opponents’ excellent defensive form.

The Bulldogs have been the best team at defending the halfback position this year and are conceding an average of just 38PPG to opposition halfbacks this year.

A score of around 100 points would see Hynes’ shed a little under $100K from his current price – a bargain for a player of his quality.

Other players to watch:

Ronaldo Mulitalo – The return of Hynes is good for all of Cronulla’s attacking players and Braydon Trindall’s return on the left is good for Mulitalo in particular too. Mulitalo and Trindall have played nine games together on the left edge of the Sharks and from those nine games the fiery winger averages 77.7PPG with six games of 70+ and just one sub-50 point effort. Mulitalo has played five games without Trindall and in that span he averaged just 47.4PPG with no games of 70+ and three sub-50 scores.

Briton Nikora – Hynes’s sacking from the NSW team was the spark that ignited Nikora in round 15. Priced at $570K there’s real value here and provided you can cover his absence in round 20 then there’s a strong argument for bringing in the hole-running Kiwi.

Jacob Kiraz – The Canterbury outside back has already hit triple figures five times this year thanks to his prolific workrate and outstanding offload/power game. The Sharks defend outside backs well and his matchup against the equally volatile Mulitalo will be worth the price of admission alone.

Matt Burton – After a tremendously consistent period (Burton’s worst score from rounds 4-12 inclusive was 67 points) the Canterbury star has hit a lean patch. Limited to just 39 points against the Eels Burton was starved of the ball after being shifted to the centres against the Roosters last week. Will a return to the halves reinvigorate or is it time to sell?

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Originally published as SuperCoach NRL: Canterbury Bulldogs vs Cronulla Sharks 10 SuperCoach Winners and Losers

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