Roar Guru
The Knights have secured arguably their best win of the season as the Roosters once again fail to get the job done against opposition they are expected to defeat.
The Roosters top four hopes take a big hit and now the Rabbitohs can kick clear if they beat the Raiders on Monday.
Defending the 2013 premiership is looking shaky now for the Roosters, but focus should not be taken from what was a great win for the Knights.
FINAL SCORE:
Knights 14
Roosters 12
Currently fifth on the NRL ladder, the Sydney Roosters need to beat the Newcastle Knights to keep their top-four hopes alive.
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The Roosters and Rabbitohs are only separated by points difference, with the latter currently fourth.
If Sydney wins tonight however, the pressure will be on South Sydney to secure victory against the Raiders away from home on Monday.
The Roosters themselves play a danger game of sorts against a Knights side coming off a poor home defeat to the Titans.
In Rise for Alex round, the Knights simply couldn’t click and went down to the Gold Coast.
Newcastle will be keen to improve on that performance and finish a disappointing season on a high.
The Roosters are coming off a much-needed victory over the Panthers. The 20-point victory restores much needed confidence following recent defeats to Manly and Cronulla.
Roosters forwards Boyd Cordner, Aiden Guerra and Sonny Bill Williams impressed last week and will prove difficult to handle.
The Knights must keep an eye on Cordner when defending their tryline, particularly when he charges on to Mitchell Pearce’s short passes.
While the Roosters can pile on the points when on song, they have pushed far too many passes this season and can easily grow frustrated when things don’t go their way.
With this in mind, a few strong defensive sets from Newcastle may put enough pressure on the Roosters to lose their way tonight.
The Knights should be competitive at home, but the Roosters’ class in key positions should see them secure the win.
Roosters by 12.
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