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On what’s becoming the most important day on the NRL calendar outside of the grand final, Anzac Day 2014 will see the nation’s premier rugby league competition play three games – one in each of the East Coast capitals.
Dragons versus Roosters – Allianz Stadium, 4pm
The Anzac Day triple-header kicks off with the annual match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters.
Both teams warmed up for this match by ending three-match losing streaks in their respective Round 7 ties. The Dragons overcome a difficult week in which they were denied their first win in Melbourne for 15 years to beat the Warriors at Kogarah, while the Roosters defeated a gallant Cronulla side in enemy territory.
Currently sitting on four wins and three losses for the season, the Dragons’ resurgence will be tested when they face the Roosters, who were clearly the standout side of 2013 as they swept all before them to claim the premiership.
Steve Price’s men will have bad memories from both their meetings with the Chooks last year. Not only did they lose the Anzac Day match by 24 points, they also suffered a humiliating 36-0 loss at their Kogarah home base, the ground having never witnessed such a shocking loss in over 60 years of playing history.
The Roosters, by contrast, have been slow to start the season, losing four of their first six matches before bouncing back to form with an unconvincing 24-18 victory over the Sharks away last week.
The key match-up will be between the five-eighths – Gareth Widdop, who has made an immediate impact at the Dragons since arriving from the Melbourne Storm, and James Maloney, who is terribly out of form with State of Origin looming.
That match-up could go a long way towards deciding the match.
This will be the 13th year in which these two teams have battled against each other on Anzac Day and there have been a number of memorable matches between the two, including Mathew Head’s chip kick to set up Matt Cooper’s match-winning try in 2005 and the Dragons’ miraculous comeback win in 2012.
As part of the new broadcasting deal which was ratified prior to the 2013 season, this year’s edition will get its well-deserved free-to-air exposure on the Nine Network, giving fans the option to either watch this match or the Collingwood versus Essendon equivalent on Seven.
Can the Roosters repeat their 2013 success or will the Dragons regain the dominance they enjoyed between 2008 and 2012?
Prediction: Roosters by 4
Storm versus Warriors – AAMI Park, 6pm
In 2010, these two teams were scheduled to meet on the Monday night after Anzac Day, but it was decided by the Storm that the match be played on the Sunday night instead, allowing both clubs to honour the bond between Australia and New Zealand.
That particular match marked the first appearance for the Storm since their salary cap breaches were exposed by the NRL earlier in the week, and they came out like a wrecking ball in demolishing the Warriors 40-6.
Every match since 2011 has been played at AAMI Park, just across the bridge from the Melbourne Cricket Ground. At the conclusion of the AFL fixture between Collingwood and Essendon, fans can make the 10-minute walk to AAMI Park and still be there in time for kick-off.
Like the Dragons and Roosters, the Anzac Night match between the Storm and Warriors have also produced some memorable moments, including the Warriors’ thrilling victory in 2011. But both sides come into this contest with question marks over their form.
After starting the season with three consecutive victories, the Storm have lost three of their past four matches, including two controversial losses to the Titans and Raiders, the latter in which they had a borderline try overruled out by the video referee. The only victory that they have enjoyed in the past month was a controversial win over the Dragons in which Young Tonumaipea scored the match winner after the final siren had blown.
Still, the Storm are a formidable side and you’d expect them to bounce back to form against the Warriors, who are in trouble with only two victories from seven outings this season.
The Warriors enjoyed victories over the Cowboys and Wests Tigers in rounds three and four respectively before suffering a 37-6 away loss to the Sharks, after which Matthew Elliott was shown the door for not extracting the full potential out of the talented Warriors squad.
Since then, the Warriors have lost narrowly to the Bulldogs (one point) and the Dragons (ten points), but still languish in second-last with only the Sharks below them on the ladder. But if there is ever a good opportunity for the Warriors to bounce back, it’s on the big Anzac Night stage which they share with the Storm.
Halfbacks Cooper Cronk and Shaun Johnson will be out to showcase their best form just a week before they do battle for their respective countries in the midyear Test, which this year will be played at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
The No. 7s will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this match. Which team will break out of their form slump and get their season back on track?
Prediction: Storm by 12 points
Broncos versus Rabbitohs – Suncorp Stadium, 8pm
The Anzac Day triple-header concludes in Brisbane, where the Broncos will welcome the South Sydney Rabbitohs to Suncorp Stadium in the first Anzac Day meeting between these two clubs since 2008. There are high expectations at the Broncos this season and they would love nothing more than a win over the Rabbitohs to show that they are the real deal.
After a quiet start to his Broncos career, fullback Ben Barba displayed glimpses of the form that saw him claim the 2012 Dally M Medal as he scored a try, had a hand in a few others and saved some in the Broncos’ 32-6 victory over the Knights in Newcastle last week.
His match-up with Rabbitohs counterpart Greg Inglis will be a highlight, and the individual performance of either player could go a long way towards deciding who wins here.
The Rabbitohs have not started the season the way they would have liked, but despite last week’s narrow loss to the Bulldogs on Good Friday you get the feeling that they are starting to rediscover the form which saw them finish second on last year’s ladder.
Preceding last Friday’s loss were two impressive victories over the Dragons and Panthers in which they only conceded eight points, including no tries against the latter team away from Redfern. In a boost for the club, Ben Te’o and George Burgess return after missing the match against the Bulldogs due to suspension.
Though the Rabbitohs won their most recent encounter in Brisbane, the Broncos should prove too strong at home in what will be their eighth consecutive Friday night match and their fourth in front of their home fans this season.
Prediction: Broncos by 8
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