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NRL betting: Can the Sharks get their teeth into the eight?

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Alsadair Sides asks whether the Sharks have what it takes to make the finals.

The thing about sharks is, they need to keep moving forward to survive. Same goes for the NRL version.

Unless the Cronulla Sharks can feast on a weakened Broncos outfit at Toyota Stadium, they risk being left behind.

This really is the time the Sharks need to get moving. They go into the game without a home win in 2008, and that form is simply not good enough.

Fortunately, they meet the Broncos at the right time. Brisbane has Justin Hodges, Karmichael Hunt, Peter Wallace, Ben Hannant and Sam Thaiday out for the Origin, and Darren Lockyer on the sidelines through injury.

So far this season, Cronulla has relied on its defence and being able to pick up wins away from home - they have won five of their six games away.

They are sixth on the ladder, on 12 points. But this is a huge game for them, and will probably see them reshuffle out of the eight if they lose.

The Broncos, Sea Eagles and Roosters are all level on points with the Sharks, while five more teams just two points behind.

Cronulla simply struggle to score points, with is something coach Ricky Stuart will have to work on if they are to have any chance of making the eight.

They may have the third best defence in the NRL, but their attack is the third worst - that reflects why Cronulla has picked up all of its wins by 12 or less.

Their fans, though, believe it is only a matter of time before the team clicks, and with the foundation of their great defence they look a decent proposition to pick up their first home win of the year against the Broncos.

In particular, Brett Kimmorley is a man to watch. He has run the traffic, and having missed out on an origin berth he could well be stung into producing his best form.

Meanwhile, Darius Boyd is in excellent form, averaging 108 metres gained as well as racking up nine line breaks, seven tries and four assists.

Significantly, the Broncos are ranked equal last in the competition for leaking tries from set pieces, and the likes of fullback Brett Kearney will look to exploit this weakness.