Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Predictions & Betting Tips: 2024 NRL Round 9

NRL Rd 8 - Raiders v Sharks — Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Predictions & Betting Tips: 2024 NRL Round 9

The Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons meet on Sunday at the PointsBet stadium for the last match of round 9 of the 2024 NRL season.

The two sides met twice last season, with the Sharks winning both games dominantly. The Sharks entered their round 4 meeting as 6.5-point favorites and walked away with a 40-8 victory. Their round 18 meeting ended similarly, with the Sharks winning 52-16.

This time, the Sharks opened as 13.5-point favorites but have fallen to 12.5. The sudden fall is likely due to the harsh weather conditions that are expected on Sunday. Nevertheless, this match will be an excellent addition to the Sharks vs Dragons rivalry, making it the perfect ending to round 9.

Read on for our prediction and betting tips.

Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Head-to-Head Record

Form (last 5 matches)

Cronulla Sharks (LWWWW)

Round 8: Raiders 0-40 Sharks
Round 7: Sharks 42-6 Cowboys
Round 6: Rabbitohs 22-34 Sharks
Round 4: Sharks 36-22 Raiders
Round 3: TIgers 32-6 Sharks

St George Illawarra Dragons (WLWWL)

Round 8: Dragons 18-60 Roosters
Round 7: Dragons 30-12 Warriors
Round 6: Tigers 12-24 Dragons
Round 5: Knights 30-10 Dragons
Round 4: Dragons 20-12 Sea Eagles

Head-to-Head

29/06/23: Sharks 52-16 Dragons
26/03/23: Dragons 8-40 Sharks
06/08/22: Sharks 24-18 Dragons
24/03/22: Dragons 12-36 Sharks
21/05/21: Sharks 13-12 Dragons

Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Match Details

Match: Sharks vs Dragons

Date: Sunday, May 5, 2024

Start Time: 4:05 pm AEST

Venue: PointsBet Stadium

Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Preview

The Cronulla Sharks won their fourth NRL game in a row in the last round, defeating the Raiders 40-0 in what was perhaps their best display of the season.

It followed their Round 7 thrashing of the Cowboys, which ended in a 42-6 victory for the Sharks. The Raiders match was absolute domination from the Sharks, who ran 2061 meters, made 9 line-breaks and missed a mere 22 tackles.

The Dragons, meanwhile, are a different story. Their performance has varied throughout the season, showing a level of inconsistency that should concern them as they had into this game.

Their ANZAC Day match against the Roosters was disastrous, as they missed 50 tackles and conceded nine line-breaks. There was no redeemable part of the game for the Dragons,

If they hope to beat the Sharks, they will need to have made massive improvements, which seems unlikely due to the short time-frame between the Roosters game and Sunday’s.

Cronulla looks unstoppable at the moment, and this game will almost certainly go their way. The Dragons will simply have to be content with the addition of another loss to their record.