Cronulla were forced into two late changes for their Friday night meeting with the Manly Sea Eagles at Ocean Protect Stadium, reshaping the Sharks' line-up just before kickoff. William Kennedy was listed at fullback for Cronulla, while Clayton Faulalo was named at the back for Manly in the team list update.
The Sharks' revised side also included Jesse Ramien in the centres, Ronaldo Mulitalo on the wing, Braydon Trindall at five-eighth and Niwhai Puru at halfback, with Addin Fonua-Blake starting at prop and Blayke Brailey at hooker. Cameron McInnes was listed at lock, while the Sea Eagles named Luke Brooks at five-eighth, Jamal Fogarty at halfback and Jake Trbojevic at lock in a match-up framed as a Friday night blockbuster.
The changes matter because team lists are the clearest early read on how a coach plans to attack a game, and late switches can alter everything from kick-return shape to how a side carries the ball out of its own end. Cronulla's bench options included Jesse Colquhoun, Siosifa Talakai, Thomas Hazelton, Hohepa Puru, Jayden Berrell and Riley Jones, giving the home side cover after the late reshuffle.
Manly's list brought its own experience through Jason Saab, Reuben Garrick, Lehi Hopoate, Taniela Paseka, Jake Simpkin and Kobe Hetherington, with Brandon Wakeham, Nathan Brown, Ethan Bullemor, Simione Laiafi, Blake Wilson and Joey Walsh among the reserves. The pre-match sheet, released as part of the NRL Premiership team-list update, sets the stage for a contest in which both clubs arrived with full squads named and plenty of strike across the park.
The friction point is simple: the Sharks had to adjust late, and that leaves the question of how cleanly they can settle into the match once the whistle blows. For Cronulla, the next few minutes at Ocean Protect Stadium will show whether the disruption is just a line-up note on paper or something Manly can turn into an edge on the field.
