NRL Saturday Night Footy – Roosters vs Broncos

Ladder Position:
Sydney Roosters: 2nd
Brisbane Broncos: 7th

Premiership Odds:
Sydney Roosters: $3.20
Brisbane Broncos: $23

Form Guide:
Sydney Roosters: 4-1
Brisbane Broncos: 3-2

Round 22 Result:
Sydney Roosters: lost to Canberra Raiders, 12 – 14
Brisbane Broncos: won against South Sydney Rabbitohs, 38 – 18

Kick off at Allianz Stadium from 7.35pm

Two of the NRL’s powerhouses lock horns on Saturday night as the regular season reaches its crescendo.

The Brisbane Broncos have made a habit of peaking at the right time under Wayne Bennett and this season looks to be no exception.

The Broncs smashed South Sydney by 20 points in a match that most expected the Bunnies to win. Finals now look locked away for Brisbane, and the men in maroon can now potentially finish as high as fourth if results favour in the final fortnight.

The Roosters missed a golden opportunity to lock away the minor premiership last week against the Canberra Raiders in the nation’s capital. The Green Machine clung to victory by two points despite scoring only one try compared to the Chooks’ two.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson was left to rue an ill-discpilined performance which saw his team give up four penalty

It’s all to play for both sides as a top-four spot is on the line.

Team line ups

Sydney Roosters

1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Dylan Napa, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11 Boyd Cordner, 12 Isaac Liu, 13 Victor Radley

Interchange: 14 Nat Butcher, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Mitchell Aubusson, 17 Ryan Matterson

Brisbane Broncos

1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Jordan Kahu, 5 Jamayne Isaako, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 8 Matthew Lodge, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Sam Thaiday, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Tevita Pangai Junior, 13 Josh McGuire

Interchange: 14 Kontoni Staggs, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 16 Korbin Sims, 17 David Fifita

Players to watch

Roosters – Cooper Cronk

The former Storm star needs to step up following last week’s shock loss to the Green Machine. The Sydney Rooster is a playmaker and match winner in his own right and we feel he would have been personally stung by last week’s defeat. Watch out for a big game from the veteran.

Broncos – Josh McGuire

Queensland representative McGuire has been in great form in recent weeks, but he has the ominous task of quelling the influence of breakout star Victor Radley. If the gun lock can at least breakeven against Radley then we’ll be looking at a Broncos win.

Roosters vs Broncos – Who wins?

Can lightning strike twice for the Broncos in successive weeks? We’re thinking so.

It has taken a while for the engines to rev at full capacity for Brisbane but the Wayne Bennett juggernaut looks to be running at its optimum. The Broncos swept aside a legitimate premiership contender last week in such a manner that made pundits and fans alike sit up and take notice.

Are they a genuine premiership threat? Saturday night will tell the tale.

We reckon Wayne Bennett will have his lads fired up for a repeat performance and we’re tipping an upset in the heart of Sydney.

Result: Brisbane Broncos – $2.65