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STEVE TURNER: Brickwall Roosters will go back-to-back

1st September, 2014
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The Roosters host Melbourne for the first NRL final. (AAP Image/ Action Photographics, Robb Cox)
Expert
1st September, 2014
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Accuse me all you like of going off early, but the Roosters will win the comp.

For most of the season, I doubted they had what it takes to achieve that rugby league rarity – successive premierships – but they won me over completely last Saturday night.

The Roosters’ famed defence of 2013 turned up and provided the foundation for a fantastic victory over an in-form Melbourne Storm.

Craig Bellamy’s men were superb in the first half, when their completion rate was an impressive 90 per cent. They dropped a little in the second half but still completed 81 per cent of their sets over the entire game.

Few, if any, teams could hold Melbourne out in such circumstances but the Roosters re-built their famous brickwall and shut down the opposition time after time.

I was really taken by what I saw and it is defence more than anything else that wins premierships.

Trent Robinson’s men still have much to improve on in attack but when the finals begin, they’ll be right on the money.

Thursday night’s game against arch-rivals Souths shapes as a physical affair and now that their defence is in order, I’ll be watching closely to see what the Roosters do with the ball.

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It looks to be merely a matter of fine-tuning. After all, they did score 24 points against the Storm so there isn’t a great deal to worry about.

Of the other contenders, I have my doubts about Souths ending their 42-year title drought.

North Queensland made them look mediocre a couple of weeks back and even though there’s a bit of Bulldog still in me, Canterbury was desperately unlucky to fall to the Bunnies last Thursday night.

The Dogs really put it to Souths and are back in the groove, steeling themselves for a gritty finals surge.

The Manly Sea Eagles may well finish as minor premiers if they can get the better of the Cowboys on Sunday but I have an inkling that their best football has already been played this year. Their last few weeks have been patchy, to say the least.

Manly has heaps of big match players but they seem to have gone off the boil. Losing Jamie Buehrer will really hurt them and there seems to be injury worries over Matty Ballin and Daly Cherry-Evans.

I really felt sorry for the Panthers. They were clearly the better side at Brookvale, but lost in the final minute.

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At least they know they’ll be in the finals and with Brent Kite, James Segeyaro and David Simmons ready to play again, they must give themselves a great chance of toppling the dangerous Warriors at home on Sunday night.

Panthers fullback Matty Moylan continues to impress. What a terrific young player! We might be watching the next NSW Origin fullback, he has all the skills.

This game, the last of the regular NRL season, should be a thriller. It’s a toss of the coin affair and I suspect victory might go to the Warriors.

Parramatta were the biggest disappointment of Round 25. With so much to gain they folded alarmingly against Newcastle in the second half. I couldn’t believe my eyes – Parra were as bad as the Knights were good.

The Eels will have to wait another season for their return to finals football, but they have only themselves to blame.

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