Rugby League
2025-09-13 - Cronulla Sharks vs Sydney Roosters
A Sports Betting Pick by Stu
Rugby League : Australia : NRL Season 2025
Saturday 13th September 2025 - KO 1950 AEST
Cronulla Sharks
With Nicho Hynes cleared from suspension in controversial fashion this week and Braydon Trindall fit, Cronulla regain the balance that has guided them most of the year.
Hynes kicking game is vital in pinning the Roosters back, and his calmness late in matches adds some much needed composure to a side that has often struggled to go deep in September, sometimes fading under the spotlight.
Cronulla finished in 5th position on 36 points 15-9, giving them a week one home semi final and they will play the loser of Raiders v Broncos on Sunday in either Canberra or Brisbane.
Shark Park has long been their safe haven, and in finals footy, the roar of the crowd can translate to energy in defence. Cronulla’s pack has grown more physical as the season has gone on and will thrive with the raucous home crowd cheering them on.
Against sides with speed, unpredictability and precision like the Roosters, Cronulla’s outside defence has sometimes leaked tries—an ominous sign with Sydney’s outside back weapons.
Cronulla Sharks Team news – Trindall comes straight back into the halves and Nikora is named on the extended bench and will likely come in on game day.
Sydney Roosters
Sydney come into the finals as one of the form teams that are still alive to claim the title. Sydney make the finals off the back of a 13-11 record and finishing 8th.
James Tedesco has yet again had a stellar season and looks odds on to claim his second Dally M medal, his form in particular has been immense, throw in his finals experience and who knows, could this year be the first ever where a team comes from outside the top 4 to claim the title?
Mark Nawaqanitawase has exploded into form, adding finishing firepower on his wing. His ability to turn half-chances into tries is game-breaking. Cronulla at home are a tough beast to tame, Shark Park is a hostile venue, and away sides can feel hemmed in by both crowd and conditions.
As a result the roosters must win the arm wrestle in the ruck or the Roosters strike players may be starved of quality ball. The Roosters are dangerous when expansive, but finals football punishes errors; a reckless offload or dropped ball could gift Cronulla territory and points.
Sydney Roosters Team news - The Roosters name an unchanged seventeen, and that stability is priceless in finals preparation.
Odds
The visiting Roosters will start as slight favourites, $2.15 to $1.75, the line is 2.5 points and combined points 45.5
The Betting Verdict
The elimination final at Shark Park feels like a battle ready to explode, two proud Sydney clubs squaring off in sudden death, each with contrasting strengths, each knowing that one slip ends the season. For Cronulla, this is about turning a strong home record and the return of key playmakers into finals momentum. For the Roosters, it’s about channeling big-game experience and their star-driven attack into one more ruthless performance.
These 2 teams have met on 49 previous occasions, Sydney are well out in front, 19-29 with one draw. This season they have met twice, Sydney winning comfortably 42-16 at home and Cronulla doing the same, 31-18 at this very venue. Cronulla are 58% winners at home while the visitors are 14-11 at shark Park. Having a quick look at the last match played, the match was very even with 20 minutes to go, the score was 20-18 to the Sharks, who then scored 2 tries and field goal to win by 13.
This is the type of contest where styles collide. Cronulla’s football is built on structure, possession, and strangling opponents with repeat sets and minimal errors. Sydney’s approach is more daring, relying on line breaks, skill, and strike power. The tension is clear, the Sharks want to dictate the grind, while the Roosters want to break the shackles.
Cronulla will throw their middle forwards at Sydney, trying to sap energy and build pressure through territory. If the Sharks get on top early, their crowd will rise with them, turning Shark Park into a cauldron. Yet the Roosters carry an intangible advantage: they know how to survive sudden death.
With Tedesco organising from the back and their edges primed to strike, Sydney look capable of stealing moments that decide knockout football. It will be tense, it will be bruising, and it will swing on inches. But in the clutch, the Roosters experience may prove decisive.
The Pick :
Cronulla Sharks 20-24 Sydney Roosters
