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Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL Round 5 Tips - Value on the Underdogs

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: Fri 03 Apr 2026 13:13

Ryan Tucker 03 Apr 2026

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Warriors expected to win narrowly over Sharks, maintaining strong record.
Recent metrics favor Warriors: Run Metres, Completion Rate, past victories.
Betting tips: Warriors moneyline, Leka Halasima as a top Tryscorer pick.
Kick off is at 2:00 PM (AEST) on Sunday, 5th April at Ocean Protect Stadium

Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors

Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors, Round 5 2026 - Expert Prediction

New Zealand are tipped to bounce back from their loss last week to win narrowly over the Sharks on Easter Sunday.

The Warriors have a great recent record against the Sharks winning 4 of the last 5 and 3 straight at Shark Park. Add to that they rank higher than Cronulla in Run Metres, Post Contact Metres and Completion Rate and it sets up for a Warriors upset.

Cronulla weren’t significantly better in their win over Canberra last week, the Raiders helped serve that one up on a platter. The two games prior they were embarrassed by the Dolphins and the Panthers with a combined 16-64 scoreline in the two losses.

Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors, Round 5 2026 - Expert Prediction
Head to Head
Cronulla Sharks Form Analysis
New Zealand Warriors Form Analysis
Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors Team List & Team News
Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5 FAQ’s

With another week of training under the belt for Luke Metcalf the expectation is that if they can tidy up their errors and play to their game plan then they will march up the field against the Sharks, who allow 1618 Run Metres per game to opponents, and set themselves up to attack the try line.

Cronulla have the ability to score when they gain momentum and if the Warriors allow them to control tempo then the game will be in the balance until late. But as we have seen already this season, when the clamps are put on them, they struggle with creativity and confidence.

Take the Warriors on the moneyline and Cronulla to go Under their Team total of 24.5 pts. Leka Halasima is the top pick for Tryscorer.

New Zealand rank higher in Run Metres for and against as well as Completion Rate. They have won 4 of the last 5 against Cronulla including 3 straight at Shark Park.
Cronulla have struggled to score against opposition that control tempo. The Warriors have allowed an average of 17 pts to opponents this season. They have not reached this total in 3 of the last 4 games.
Leka Halasima scored a try in his only career game against Cronulla last season. He has also scored 7 tries in his last 7 games.
Cronulla have allowed tries to edge forwards in 2 straight games.

Head to Head

New Zealand have won 2 straight and 4 of the last 5 against Cronulla and even though the Sharks hold a 7-6 advantage in games since the start of 2019 they have won just 1 of the last 4 games at home vs NZ.

5 of the last 6 games have gone Over the Game Total and Cronulla hold a 7-6 ATS record with each team covering in their respective victories.

Sharks Atk Rank	Warriors Def Rank	Stat	Warriors Atk Rank	Sharks Def Rank
6	4	Points	3	9
14	4	Run Mts	9	5
10	10	Linebreaks	4	14
5	2	Compl %	3	10

Cronulla Sharks Form Analysis

The Sharks snapped a 2 game losing streak last weekend by beating the Raiders 34-22 in Canberra. The win takes them to 2-2 on the early season and putting them at 9th on the ladder.

Cronulla weren’t a lot better than their opponent but were able to capitalise more frequently on their chances compared to the Raiders. Addin Fonua-Blake finished the game with 222 Run Metres confirming his inclusion in the Top 5 Props of 2026, while Will Kennedy scored a try, had 1 Linebreak, 1 Linebreak Assist and 1 Try Assist.

New Zealand Warriors Form Analysis

The Warriors lost their first game of the season last weekend 32-14 on Friday night against the Tigers in Auckland.

New Zealand are now 3-1 and 2nd on the ladder with a +66 pt differential. They also welcomed back Luke Metcalf from an ACL injury which created a coaching dilemma for Andrew Webster on who to retain in the halves.

The Warriors had completed at over 80% in all three of their victories but were only able to complete at 77% in the loss to the Tigers.

Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors Team List & Team News

Team News and Lists are in our dedicated Round 5 Team List Article.

Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5 FAQ’s

How to livestream Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5?

You can livestream the Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchNRL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5?

To buy tickets to the Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors NRL 2026 Round 5 game check the NRL website or the official Cronulla Sharks site.

Verdict

Cronulla Sharks v New Zealand Warriors

Take the Warriors on the moneyline and Cronulla to go Under their Team total of 24.5 pts. Leka Halasima is the top pick for Tryscorer.

New Zealand

Moneyline

$2.40 - 2 Units

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Cronulla under 24.5

Team Total

$1.90 - 2 Units

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L Halasima

Anytime Tryscorer

$2.45 - 1 Unit

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L Halasima

First Tryscorer

$13.00 - 1 Unit

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