Knights look to rebound against defensive juggernaut Sharks in Group Seven preview

Both teams have shown great promise this year with the Knights getting out to a fast start, sporting a three win - one loss record, while the Sharks have also been strong with a record of three wins and two defeats.

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However, the Knights are just holding onto fourth place while the Sharks continue to creep up the board from sixth, showcasing just how deep and talented the competition is.

Coming off a surprise loss 22-16 loss to seventh place Albion Park over the weekend, Kiama will be looking to rebound in a big away against Shellharbour.

"It was very disappointing, especially coming off a win against Gerringong the week prior," Kiama coach Marc Laird said.

"We had a lot of effort and energy and really worked hard for each other. Then we turned up against Albion Park and we lacked all of those things and it cost us."

Laird said that the team just wasn't there last week and hopes the loss will serve as a wake-up call to the Knights to keep their guard up and always put forth their best effort.

The Knights will look to reinforce their position as one of the leagues stronger sides this weekend against the improving Shellharbour Sharks.

"They've (Sharks) been really tracking well from what I've seen," Laird said.

"They have some really quality players, several big forwards in the middle and Matt Carroll has always been a classy player."

"So we are going to have to be on our game in the middle third and really hold their momentum down the field."

"I think it'll be a really good game to see where we are at, and I'm excited to see how the team responds from last weekend."

The Knights will look to utilise their speed and agility on a drier home-ground, while the Sharks will look to continue to take advantage of their strong size, which has disrupted teams all year.

Sharks coach Abed Atallah said he hopes the team's defence will continue to hold steady, as it's an improvement he's been more than happy with this season.

"It's been (defence) one of the strongest aspects of our game thus far," he said.

Shellharbour while sitting at sixth, currently has given up the least amount of points in the entire competition.

A showcase of the sides tough-nosed and grinded out style of play, that allows nothing easy for any opponent.

"Being up there with the least points allowed is something we strive for as a club but we also need to start making greater strides in our attack," Atallah said.

The Sharks currently only rank fifth in points scored.

Atallah, coming off a win against Berry on Wednesday night, noted that he hasn't had much time to game plan against Kiama but said the clashes between the two are always good value.

"They are always really good castle (Kiama Showground) games with Kiama," he said.

"Kiama likes to play really fast and we'll obviously look to slow them down and throw them off from what they like to do."

"We are just going to continue to focus on our defence and through that opportunities on attack will open up for us," he said.

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