Sharks still in murky waters
By Dean Ritchie
May 13, 2004
CRONULLA have won three of their past four matches - yet statistics reveal the club is still in trouble.
The Sharks are ranked 15th and last in the NRL for missed tackles and for tackles that have been broken.
Cronulla have missed an incredible 36 tackles each game. In metres conceded, Cronulla are ranked 14th.
These statistics come as every team lines up for round 10 of the 2004 NRL season.
Yet the Sharks have secured victories over Melbourne, Parramatta and Canberra over the past month.
"We know there is heaps of room for improvement," skipper Brett Kimmorley said.
"Earlier on in this season we were making 360 to 400 tackles a game. That was about six or seven sets more than anyone else. That's why there were so many missed tackles.
"We were also giving away plenty of penalties and that was leading to mistakes.
"But in the past four weeks we haven't given away so many penalties and we have controlled the ball well.
"We have won three of our last four games so those stats would be the opposite in recent weeks."
In contrast, Cronulla make 17 offloads each match, ranking them third in the NRL competition. The Sharks are also excelling in the metres gained category.
"It's scary in that one aspect shows we're making mistakes but we're still throwing the ball around," Kimmorley said. "We are trying to promote the ball and we have fixed up our discipline."
