Melbourne Storm secured a hard-fought 24–20 victory over the Cronulla Sharks at Ocean Protect Stadium on Saturday, 5 September. In a contest that kept fans on edge until the final whistle, the visitors edged out a four-point win to close out Round 27 in style.
Pre-match markets had pointed firmly toward the away side, with Melbourne Storm's head to head price moving from 1.38 to 1.34 (firmed) prior to kick-off. Meanwhile, the Cronulla Sharks drifted out from 2.84 to 2.94 (drifted) in the lead-up. The final scoreline justified that visiting favouritism, though the home side pushed them all the way in a tight encounter.
How the match played out
The Storm came into this fixture following a strong outing against the Brisbane Broncos, and they carried that scoring momentum into Ocean Protect Stadium. Holding off a determined Cronulla outfit, Melbourne crossed for enough points to secure the 24–20 result.
For the Sharks, the loss marks another tough result as they look back on a 20–24 scoreline at home. Despite battling hard throughout the night, the home side ultimately fell just short of bridging the gap, leaving the visitors to take home the competition points.
How the tips went
Looking back at the published selections for this Round 27 clash, the head to head tip on the Cronulla Sharks at 3.29 resulted in a loss as Melbourne held on for the four-point win.
However, the line selection on the Cronulla Sharks +9.5 at 1.9 was a win, successfully covering the 9.5-point margin thanks to the tight 24–20 final scoreline.