*Where: Accor Stadium, SydneyÂ
*The form:
Penrith (home-and-away season: second, 17 wins, seven losses): Winners in eight of their last 10 matches. Won qualifying final against Sydney Roosters 30-10.
Cronulla (home-and-away season: fourth, 16 wins, eight losses): Winners in seven of their last 10 matches. Won semi final against North Queensland 26-18.
*Head-to-head
Overall: Played: 100. Panthers 45 wins, 52 losses, three draws.
In finals: Played: One game. Panthers zero wins, one loss.
Last time: Round 12, 2024. Panthers 42 defeated Sharks 0 at Pointsbet Stadium.
Last final: Semi Final, 2018. Sharks 21 defeated Panthers 20 at Allianz Stadium.
*Key players: Nathan Cleary (Panthers). Starred on return from his shoulder injury to push the Panthers into a grand final qualifier, but expect the Sharks forwards to send plenty of traffic at the superstar's injury. The halfback embodies the calm, calculated style of play on which the Panthers have built a rugby league dynasty. His kicking game is always crucial, and will be especially important early on as the Panthers look to put the game on their own terms.
Braydon Trindall (Sharks). The Sharks five-eighth is coming off one of the strongest performances of his career, scoring twice and setting up a try as Cronulla broke their seven-game finals drought with victory over the Cowboys. The Sharks are at their best when Trindall can take pressure off halves partner Nicho Hynes, and he's poised to help the Sharks target the defensively inconsistent Izack Tago on the Panthers' right edge.
Isaah Yeo (Panthers). The linchpin between the Panthers' edges on the field, and their inspirational leader off it. He maintained fantastic form even as the Panthers dipped on the run to finals, and will be crucial if the side is to capitalise on its clear on-paper advantage over the Sharks' middle forward unit. Becomes the Panthers' outright most-capped player with his 244th NRL appearance for the club.
Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks). Mulitalo ranks second for kick return metres among the NRL's first-choice wingers so will be crucial to helping the Sharks get on a roll against the steely Penrith defence. His battle with opposite man Brian To'o, the only winger better for that stat, looms as an intriguing one. To'o gives away almost 10cm in height to Mulitalo, so the Sharks winger is a likely target for the boot of in-form Trindall.
*The stat: The Sharks have been held scoreless in three of their last five meetings against Penrith, and lost the last two games by a combined total of 70-0.
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