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The St George Illawarra Dragons possess a terrific record on Anzac Day but will need to be at their best if they are to once again defeat the Sydney Roosters this afternoon. Join us for live scores and commentary from 4:00pm AEDT.
A full house is expected at Allianz Stadium for the latest instalment of the Roosters – Dragons Anzac Day rivalry.
Both teams head into this contest with winning form, ensuring a tough and high quality encounter today.
The Dragons have won their past three matches and have steadied the ship well after opening the season with three straight defeats.
The Roosters on the other hand have won four of their past five matches which included a 38-nil shellacking of the Bulldogs a fortnight ago.
For all their great form however, the Roosters have severely struggled against the Dragons on Anzac Day and will need to be switched on this afternoon if they are to end a poor run of form in this fixture.
The Dragons have won the past five Anzac Day clashes between the teams and invariably rise to the occasion regardless of their position on the ladder.
The Roosters however have turned Allianz Stadium into a fortress of sorts this season and will not be easily cracked today.
Prediction
Sydney has constantly ranked as one of the worst defensive units in the NRL over the past few years but not this time.
The Roosters defence thus far has been absolutely outstanding, particularly at home.
The Bondi-Junction club has not conceded a single point at Allianz Stadium since round one and have also kept the opposition scoreless in the first half for five weeks in a row now.
Such statistics showcase the new found attitude and discipline in a Roosters side that severely struggled with this aspect of their game in years gone past.
While the Dragons have won three straight, it remains to be seen if their attack will be good enough to crack a Roosters defence that will be keen to perform in front of a big home crowd.
Dragons forwards Trent Merrin, Ben Creagh and Dan Hunt will need to be at their best if they are to create the second phase needed for Jamie Soward and company to cause the Roosters defence trouble.
If the Roosters can match the Dragons up the middle, their attacking class should be enough to earn victory today.
James Maloney, Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings, Mitchell Pearce and Jake Friend are all in stellar form and will open the Dragons right up if given field position to do so.
While the Dragons will be competitive, the Roosters at home look the more likely to crow on Anzac Day.
Roosters by 10.