The Sharks are out to christen their newly named Ocean Protect Stadium with a hard-earned victory when they tackle the Titans in a season-opening Saturday night showdown.<\/p>\n
Ten years on from their maiden premiership, Cronulla are dreaming of celebrating the anniversary with another title after reaching back-to-back preliminary finals.<\/p>\n
But Craig Fitzgibbon’s men will take nothing for granted this year as they aim to scale the steep NRL mountain \u2013 starting their journey against a familiar face.<\/p>\n
The much-anticipated Round 1 clash will see former Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay return to the Shire after taking charge of the Gold Coast over the summer.<\/p>\n
The early signs have been promising for the Titans, who handily beat the Dolphins and Storm to go through the Pre-Season Challenge undefeated.<\/p>\n
Cronulla also showed glimpses of their best form in the trials, storming to a 48-6 win over the Raiders in their second and final hit-out a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n
Quizzed by the media about whether Hannay may have inside knowledge of the Sharks systems, star prop Addin Fonua-Blake swatted away any concerns.<\/p>\n
“Every team sort of knows what style the other team plays; it’s just they’ve got to come up and try and stop it,” the Tongan international said this week.<\/p>\n
“He might know what we’re going to do, but at the end of the day they’ve got to stop it. We’re going to come out guns blazing and we’ll see how we go from there. We’re going to go out there and give it our best crack from the start.<\/p>\n
“It’s up to them to match it.”<\/p>\n
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Round 1 Media: Addin Fonua-Blake<\/p>\n
The battle between Fonua-Blake \u2013 the reigning Sharks Player of the Year \u2013 and Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui makes for the headline match-up.<\/p>\n
The two behemoths are arguably the most impactful forwards in the game, combining raw power with surprising agility and unstoppable motors.<\/p>\n
“It’s a hard one, man,” Fonua-Blake said of his opponent.<\/p>\n
“He’s such a genetic freak and he’s such a good player. I feel like if you focus too much on Tino, you allow the other players in his team to get it over you.<\/p>\n
“We’re going to definitely have our hands full in the middle, but these are the games you want to play in. You want to put yourself up against the best.<\/p>\n
“I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m sure he is.”<\/p>\n
Head-to-head history favours Cronulla, who have won 11 of their past 12 games against the Titans including a 54-22 drubbing at Ocean Protect Stadium last year.<\/p>\n
Underlining their dominance, the Sharks have piled up 98 points and conceded just 22 in their two most recent meetings with the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
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Round 1 Media: Tom Hazelton<\/p>\n
Regardless, Fitzgibbon’s men are aware nothing will be handed to them and they must fight for every metre. A fervent home crowd will provide an extra boost.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got vocal fans and they love coming here and packing out our stadium. I’m sure they’ll be out in numbers on Saturday night,” prop Tom Hazelton said.<\/p>\n
“We can’t wait to have them here getting behind us.”<\/p>\n
Officially announced as co-captain last week, hooker Blayke Brailey will lead the Sharks solo with Cameron McInnes still recovering from an ACL injury.<\/p>\n
Fresh off signing a four-year contract extension, talented lock Jesse Colquhoun will again wear the No.13 jersey in McInnes’ absence.<\/p>\n
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Round 1 Media: Jesse Colquhoun<\/p>\n
Ronaldo Mulitalo (ACL) and Teig Wilton (recovering from off-season shoulder surgery) are also in the casualty ward, providing golden opportunities for winger Sam Stonestreet and second-rower Billy Burns to start in their place.<\/p>\n
For the Titans, livewire playmaker Jayden Campbell was ruled out with a hamstring injury earlier in the week. New signing Lachlan Ilias will partner AJ Brimson in the halves, while Siale Faemani is set to debut on the flank.<\/p>\n