Cronulla Sharks host St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 14 of the 2026 NRL season at Ocean Protect Stadium on Sunday. Read on for our full match preview, betting tips, and best odds.
One of the NRL’s classic derbies comes at an intriguing juncture, with injury-hit Cronulla striving to consolidate its place in the Top 8 and last-placed St George Illawarra boosted by a drought-breaking victory.
FORM: The inscrutable Sharks have improved to 6-4, beating the Bulldogs (38-16) and Sea Eagles (28-22) in their last two outings.
The Dragons put an 0-11 start behind them to deliver Dean Young his first win as coach, a spirited 30-26 upset of the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. It was their best attacking display of the season and the least points they have conceded since Round 4.
INS AND OUTS: Cronulla brings Briton Nikora back from a post-Origin break, but Blayke Brailey has joined Nicho Hynes in the casualty. Jayden Berrell gets a start at hooker, while KL Iro and Sione Katoa are in the reserves list.
St George Illawarra welcome hooker Jacob Liddle back from a hamstring injury and Jaydn Su’A is among the reserves – a contingent that also includes a demoted Tyrell Sloan.
KEY MATCH-UP: Valentine Holmes bounced back to form in the Dragons’ breakthrough win and will engage in a vital centre battle with Jesse Ramien this week.
HISTORY: The Dragons snapped a 10-match derby losing streak with a 22-14 victory at Kogarah in Round 23 last year. The Sharks won 30-18 at home eight weeks earlier and have not lost to the Saints there since 2018.
KEY STAT: Only one of the last nine Dragons-Sharks matches has exceeded a total of 48 points.
VERDICT: The big question is whether last week’s euphoric result was the harbinger of ongoing Dragons improvement, or merely temporary relief from their trainwreck of a season. What cannot be argued is they boast an outstanding batch of young forwards.
But if there’s anything the Sharks like doing, it’s beating up on the NRL’s lesser lights – and they have dominated this derby over a long period. They’ll be acutely aware of how valuable this two points is, too, while the loss of Hynes didn’t hamper Cronulla too much last week.
Tip: Back the Sharks to Score Over 32.5 Points @ $1.92
SGM: SHARKS -11.5 / OVER 53.5 TOTAL POINTS / BRITON NIKORA ANYTIME TRYSCORER / JESSE RAMIEN ANYTIME TRYSCORER @ $12.04
Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons Odds & Popular Betting Markets
Here’s a quick look at the current odds and popular betting markets for the Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons matchup.
*odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change