Gould believes Penrith’s attack will simply be too much for Cronulla to handle.
After ending a six-year finals drought with last week’s victory over the North Queensland Cowboys, Cronulla Sharks face another significant challenge as they prepare to meet Penrith Panthers for a spot in the NRL grand final. While the Sharks’ semi-final win was a major breakthrough, overcoming the reigning NRL powerhouse will be an even tougher task.
Cronulla’s recent record against Ivan Cleary’s Panthers is far from encouraging. In their last seven encounters over the past five years, Penrith holds a dominant 6-1 advantage, outscoring the Sharks by a combined total of 250-65. This daunting history adds to the mental hurdles the Sharks must overcome as they chase their first grand final appearance since 2016.
Adding to Cronulla’s concerns is the fact that they haven’t defeated a Nathan Cleary-led Penrith side since 2019. Their lone victory over the Panthers between 2020 and 2024 came in Round 14 of the 2021 season when Cleary was absent. On that occasion, Shaun Johnson’s late field goal secured a 19-18 win, but Cleary and other key Panthers players were rested following their participation in State of Origin.
Facing Penrith in a grand final qualifier is already a daunting task, but the Sharks head into the game having managed just 10 points in their last four encounters against the Panthers. To make matters worse, Cronulla was kept scoreless in three of those games, underscoring the challenge ahead.
Phil Gould believes the Cronulla Sharks will struggle to stop Penrith’s powerful attack as they prepare for their grand final qualifier. On *100% Footy*, Gould predicted a fifth consecutive grand final appearance for Penrith, highlighting the Panthers’ relentless style of play.
“The Panthers won’t be as easy to crack as the Cowboys,” Gould said. “If you give away a penalty or drop the ball, Penrith becomes a different beast. Once they’re at your end of the field, they’re incredibly hard to contain, and I don’t think the Sharks have the defence to handle that.”
Gould suggested the Sharks’ best chance would be to keep Penrith out of their half by grinding them down and forcing them to play from deep. While acknowledging it’s a difficult task to maintain for 80 minutes, Gould stressed that it would increase Cronulla’s chances of pulling off an upset.
Sharks legend Paul Gallen defended Cronulla’s defensive abilities in response to Phil Gould’s prediction that the Sharks would struggle to contain Penrith. Gallen pointed out that Cronulla had the second-best defensive record in the competition, arguing that the Sharks could indeed handle the Panthers’ powerful attack.
Gould, however, dismissed the reliance on stats, quipping, “Paul, too many stats for me, mate. You’ve got stats coming out your backside.” Gallen countered with, “It’s also facts,” but Gould remained unconvinced, saying, “Alright, we’ll see how they go this week.”
The winner of the match will face either Melbourne or the Roosters in the grand final on October 6.