Two sides with a tinge of desperation about them square off this Sunday, with the Canberra Raiders hosting the Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium in Round 4 of the NRL.<\/p>\n
The Raiders and Sharks both finished top five last year and were expected to be finals contenders again this season.<\/p>\n
Each opened their 2026 campaigns with two points, but since then it\u2019s been a rough fortnight for both clubs. Canberra were thrashed by the Warriors then lost a tight one to the Bulldogs, while Cronulla were well beaten by the Panthers and Dolphins.<\/p>\n
Cronulla have had the Raiders\u2019 number in recent years, winning five of their last six meetings, including three in a row at this ground.<\/p>\n
But more than that, it\u2019s the halves and forward packs that swing this in the visitors\u2019 favour.<\/p>\n
Canberra are without Josh Papali\u2019i and have two inexperienced playmakers in Ethan Strange and Ethan Sanders, while the Sharks have Addin Fonua-Blake up front and Braydon Trindall and Nico Hynes steering the side.<\/p>\n
It should be the Sharks who get some relief this weekend.<\/p>\n
Neither side has fired in attack over the past two rounds, with each being kept to six points in Round 2 and 10 points in Round 3.<\/p>\n
More points should come in this match, but given the desperation around both clubs, don\u2019t expect a wide-open, free-flowing game.<\/p>\n
Katoa has two tries already this season and has crossed five times in his last six games against the Raiders.<\/p>\n
The Sharks winger should have a good opportunity against Canberra\u2019s left edge defence, which could be even weaker than usual with Papali\u2019i out.<\/p>\n
Katoa has been busy this season, averaging just under 20 runs and around 150 metres per game, so expect him to be heavily involved again.<\/p>\n