Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: 2024 NRLW Grand Final Preview

The 2024 NRLW season reaches its conclusion on Grand Final day, with the Sydney Roosters facing the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Will the Roosters add to their 2021 triumph, or will we see a new winner lift the trophy? Find out with our 2024 NRLW Grand Final Preview.

The Sydney Roosters and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks will face off on Grand Final day to provide the conclusion to another thrilling season of NRLW action.

The Roosters are aiming to become the third team to claim more than one Premiership in the history of the competition (Brisbane Broncos – 2018, 2019, 2020 and Newcastle Knights – 2022, 2023) after winning the title in the 2021 campaign. The Sharks are hunting for their inaugural title and aiming to become the third team to win a Grand Final at their first attempt (Brisbane Broncos – 2018, Newcastle Knights – 2022).

Join us as we break down the numbers that matter going into the final day of the campaign.

Roosters vs Sharks: Team Analysis

The Sydney Roosters come into this match with the imposing record of having made the most run metres (15,846) of any team in the 2024 NRLW season. They’ve accompanied that with a staggering 102 offloads (10.2 per game) – 12 more than any other team in the campaign – and the most of any side in a single season in the history of the competition.

Only the Parramatta Eels (92) have conceded more offloads this campaign than the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (74), so they will need to knuckle down in this area if they’re to stop the Roosters’ ball movement.

The Roosters have converted this into dominance when it comes to territory. They’ve had 54% of territory in 2024, the highest of any team and have logged 15 repeat sets – four more than any other team in the campaign. On the flip side, the Sharks have conceded 18 repeat sets – four more than any other side in the competition.

Indeed, the Sharks have had to work harder than any other side that reached the 2024 NRLW finals series. Their 272 tackles per game across the campaign is the most of any team that qualified for the post-season and second most overall (Wests Tigers – 279 per game).

Despite that, the Sharks have done well to keep their opposition from breaking through; no team has conceded fewer line breaks in this NRLW season than them (35) while their 27 missed tackles per game is also the fewest of any side.

This defensive workload hasn’t lessened their impact in possession either; the Sharks’ 77% completion rate in the NRLW in 2024 is the second best of any team in the campaign (Parramatta Eels – 79%).

In attack, their strength comes from set-piece opportunities; they have scored 12 tries in the 2024 NRLW season starting possession from a scrum – the most of any team in the competition – while 87% of their total tries have come from play-the-balls starting inside the opposition 20-metre zone (27/31) – 10% higher than any other team in the competition.

Players In Focus

Jocelyn Kelleher has scored 70 points for the Sydney Roosters (1 try, 33 goals) in the 2024 NRLW season, the most of any player in the competition and the second most by a Roosters player in a single season in the history of the competition, after Kelleher herself in 2023 (72).

Kelleher’s 66 points from goal-kicks in the campaign is 23.7 more than the Opta Kick Predictor suggests she ‘ought’ to have made. Her nine try assists is the third most of any player in the NRLW this season (Tamika Upton – 13 for Newcastle Knights and Hayley Maddick – 10 for Brisbane Broncos).

In fact, she’s provided eight try assists and nine line break assists in her last five matches and has stepped up her running game in recent months. Across her last four NRLW appearances Kelleher has made 12 runs per game – five per game more than she logged in her nine games prior (7 runs per game). In addition, her 247 kick metres per game in her last four matches is almost four times as many as she averaged in her six games before that (65 kick metres per game).

Olivia Kernick (Sydney Roosters) is one of only two players to have made 150+ runs (171) and 250+ tackles (301) in the 2024 NRLW season (Alexis Tauaneai – 150 runs, 300 tackles for St George Illawarra Dragons). Indeed, her 171 runs is the most of any forward and second most of any player overall (Evania Pelite – 176 for Gold Coast Titans).

She’s currently enjoying a fine run of crossing the try line, with three tries in her last four appearances. That’s more than she logged across her 20 games prior (2). In addition, Kernick has made at least two tackle breaks in seven of her last eight appearances and at least one offload in each of her last five games in that span (7 offloads in total) – more than she logged in her 14 games prior (6 offloads).

Annessa Biddle (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks) has made more post-contact metres than any other player in the 2024 NRLW season (779). The Sharks centre has proved to be a force to reckoned with on kick returns, with Cassie Staples (421) the only Shark to log more than Biddle (284) in this category.

Teammate Emma Tonegato started at five-eighth in her first five games in the 2024 NRLW season before switching to full-back for her last three appearances in the competition. It has proven to be effective, with Tonegato making as many line breaks in her last three appearances (2) as she logged in her six games before that in the competition (2).

It’s also seen Tonegato run the ball more, with her average of 15 carries in her last three games more than she logged in her 10 games prior (14).

Roosters vs Sharks: Head-to-Head

This will be the third meeting in the NRLW between the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The Roosters have won their two clashes by an aggregate score of 76-12 and kept the Sharks scoreless when they last met (40-0 – 8 September 2024).

The Roosters are one of three teams the Sharks are yet to beat in the NRLW, alongside Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers. If they can get a win on the board against their New South Wales rivals and reverse recent history it will be a most deserved inaugural premiership.

Enjoy this? Check out our other Rugby League content on Opta Analyst. You can also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook