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Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks vs Newcastle Knights Tips – Round 26

Sharks chasing top-four; Knights avoiding wooden spoon • SUN 2:00 PM AEST • Sharks Stadium

By FreeMultiTips • 30 Aug 2025, 7:29 pm •AEST

Same Game Multi

$5.17

Confidence 70%

Sharks 13+ $1.62
Under 51.5 $1.90
KL Iro anytime TS $1.91

Why: Fav dominates field position; Knights attack limited; 13+ fits a 30-6/34-10 script while staying Under; Iro finish on structured shapes from Hynes.

Best Value Tryscorer

$1.91

KL Iro anytime try-scorer

Knights concede on edges Iro back at centre and benefits from Hynes’ sweep and short balls price sits in the sweet $1.85-$2.15 band.

Other props: William Kennedy anytime ($2.55), Addin Fonua-Blake anytime ($2.90), Sione Katoa anytime ($1.70)

Match Preview

Tempo & Territory

Sharks should control ruck speed and yardage behind Rudolf, Fonua-Blake and a deep bench (Hazelton, Hamlin-Uele). With Brailey’s tempo and Hynes/Trindall kicking, Cronulla project to win the territory count and start sets in good ball. Newcastle leaked 14 line breaks to Brisbane last week and have struggled to stem ruck momentum; their yardage game relies on Young and Best early carries, but repeat goal-line sets against Cronulla’s pack will be hard to generate. In calm, fine conditions, Cronulla’s exit-to-good-ball transition should be clean, letting them run their preferred shift-shape early in sets rather than chasing points late.

Form, Stakes & H2H

Cronulla are 6th and live for a top-four tilt after a bye and a 54-22 put-away of the Titans. They’ve won five straight at Sharks Stadium and 85% vs bottom-9, a profile that punishes fragile defences. Newcastle sit 16th and are 0-5 across their last five, allowing 46, 38, 48 and 44 in four of those; they bring the same 17 with Marzhew as 18th man. H2H leans Sharks (4-1 last five), and the Knights haven’t won at this venue since 2014. The market reflects that gulf (H2H $1.14 vs $5.80; Sharks 13+ priced short), but Cronulla’s own points profile is steadier than their blowout headlines suggest, which matters for totals.

Lanes & Bets

Lanes point to Cronulla edges and middles: Sharks attack has piled up on RW (15) and LC (14); Knights concede most to Props (18), RW (14) and FB (9). That triangulates to a right-edge finish (Katoa/Hiroti) and a middle crash option (Fonua-Blake) off ruck speed. With Cronulla averaging mid-20s for, and Newcastle around the low-teens for, the script prefers a comfortable margin without a shootout. Recommended: Sharks -16.5 with moderate confidence. Totals lean Under 51.5 given Knights’ limited strike and Cronulla’s ability to suffocate once up two scores. For ATS value, avoid the very short wings and take KL Iro at ~$1.91, benefiting from Hynes’ sweeps and inside-out shapes; Kennedy ($2.55) and Fonua-Blake ($2.90) are secondary looks consistent with the same story. The SGM stacks Sharks 13+ with Under 51.5 and Iro anytime to reflect a 30-6/34-10 type outcome.

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