Cronulla Sharks arguably have more of a point to prove than any team this week, courtesy of their flaccid 54-10 loss in Melbourne last Sunday. The Sharks were buried under a high error rate and the Storm’s yardage dominance in the club’s worst performance under Craig Fitzgibbon.

The coach has resisted swinging the axe; the fifth-placed Sharks’ only change sees Oregon Kaufusi start for Royce Hunt (ankle surgery) with Thomas Hazelton returning to the bench.

The finals ship is disappearing into the distance very quickly for the 5-9 Canterbury Bulldogs, who have won just two of their last nine games. Monday’s clash with Parramatta was a chance to make a statement by some erratic individual performances underpinned a disappointing 34-12 loss.

Braidon Burns will fill in on the wing for Blues star Josh Addo-Carr for the Bulldogs this weekend.

Nicho Hynes steered the Sharks to a 33-20 victory over the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium in Round 8, with Will Kennedy snaring a hat-trick. It was the Sharks’ fourth straight win in the rivalry and their 10th from the clubs’ last 12 clashes.

Cronulla’s record against their fellow Top 8 teams is atrocious, but the Sharks are 6-1 against teams currently ninth or lower. The Bulldogs are 1-6 against the current Top 8.

The No.7 battle between spurned Blues Hynes and Matt Burton should be a cracker, while the Bulldogs look to be getting far too many points at the line against a home side that has gone off the rails in recent weeks.

The post Cronulla Sharks vs Canterbury Bulldogs Tips and Odds – NRL 2023 Round 16 first appeared on JustBetting.com.au.