Anzac Day 2015 is on the horizon and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing of the troops at Gallipoli, five matches are scheduled for the biggest day on the NRL calendar outside of the grand final.
It kicks off with the New Zealand Warriors facing off against the Gold Coast Titans. Following that, the Newcastle Knights will look to get their season back on track when they welcome the North Queensland Cowboys to the City of Steel, before the Roosters and Dragons take centre stage in the showpiece match at Allianz Stadium.
In Melbourne, following the annual AFL clash between Essendon and Collingwood, the Melbourne Storm and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles will renew their decades-long rivalry just across the bridge from the MCG at AAMI Park.
And to top it all off, the Brisbane Broncos will look to return to the winners’ list and continue their rebirth under Wayne Bennett when they face off against the second-last Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Let’s now preview each match on the biggest day of the NRL regular season calendar.
Warriors versus Titans
12:00pm (2:00pm NZST)
Mount Smart Stadium
The Anzac Day extravaganza kicks off in New Zealand with the Warriors hosting the improving Gold Coast Titans at Mount Smart Stadium at 12:00pm (2:00pm local time).
Both sides sit 11th and 12th on the ladder respectively with the same points differential (-3) and with very identical points scored for and against, however it’s the Warriors that sit just above the Titans having scored one more point in attack.
The hosts were very unlucky not to have beaten the Cowboys in Townsville last week, going down after conceding a try in the dying minutes of play. Still, there is a lot to like about the Warriors’ chances of doing well this season.
On the other hand, a drug scandal was what led many to predict that the Gold Coast Titans would win the wooden spoon this season, but after dropping their first three matches of the season the club have picked themselves off the canvas, winning three of their last four matches to now be sitting in 12th position.
With both teams enduring mixed form so far this season, this match could go down to the wire. I’m expecting the Warriors to use the home ground to their advantage and get up in this one.
Prediction: Warriors by 12 points.
Knights versus Cowboys
2:00pm
Hunter Stadium
After winning their first four games of the season to be sitting on top of the ladder, three straight losses have seen the Knights drop to seventh ahead of their second meeting with the surging Cowboys this season.
The two sides met previously in Round 2 with the Knights winning 16-14 after being 14-0 down at one stage. It was the match that saw Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston targeted by Knights players, in particular Beau Scott, who this week announced that he would join the Parramatta Eels from next season.
The Cowboys, after losing their first three games of the season, have now won their last four including a last-minute win over the Warriors in Thurston’s 250th NRL game and have subsequently risen to sixth on the ladder – just above the Knights.
Paul Green’s men will be hungry for revenge for their earlier season defeat to the Knights so expect them to be fired up. However, the Knights will want to lift in front of their home fans after narrowly going down to the Eels last week.
Still, I expect the Cowboys to continue their recent resurgence and notch their fifth straight win.
Prediction: Cowboys by eight points.
Roosters versus Dragons
4:00pm
Allianz Stadium
After dropping their first two games of the season rather meekily, the St George Illawarra Dragons have rediscovered the defensive mojo that saw them grind their way to a premiership win in 2010.
It delivered them five consecutive wins against the Raiders, Sea Eagles, Knights, Bulldogs and Broncos. In their last four matches in particular, they have conceded less than ten points and they currently possess the competition’s best defence.
Their best winning streak since 2011 will go on the line when they face the Sydney Roosters, who have lost their last three matches by single-figure margins to fall to eighth on the ladder, in the annual showpiece match.
The Chooks sit on a 3-4 win-loss record for the season and desperately need a win to get their season back on track. In their favour is that they have won the last two Anzac Day clashes, scoring 34 points on those two occasions.
The halves, James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce, need to lift if they are not only to end the Roosters’ three-game losing streak but also if they are to revive any hopes they have of returning to the State of Origin arena in 2015.
Expect another thriller of a match when these two rivals square off in the match that will be televised on Channel Nine.
Prediction: Dragons by six points.
Storm versus Sea Eagles
6:00pm
AAMI Park
Prior to the start of the season, many believed that the golden periods of success the Storm and Sea Eagles enjoyed over the last decade would come to an end this season.
While that can be said for the struggling Sea Eagles, who sit alone at the bottom of the ladder after just one win (against the Storm in Round 2) this season, the Storm continue to defy the experts’ predictions of a decline this season.
After seven rounds, the Storm sits jointly with the Dragons and Broncos on top of the ladder with five wins and two losses for the season. Their only two losses have come via a two-point loss to the Sea Eagles back in Round 2 and a golden-point heartbreaker against the Cowboys in Round 4.
The Storm’s Anzac Day fixture this season is a departure from the past, whereby they would play the New Zealand Warriors in their Anzac Night match, however, with the latter club keen to play at home this year, the opponent was changed to the club’s modern-day rival, the Sea Eagles.
Another loss for the silvertails and the board’s patience with coach Geoff Toovey will further be put to the Test. There has already been a lot of speculation surrounding his future following the Sea Eagles’ worst start to a season since 2009.
Even with an upset victory, the Sea Eagles will still remain at the bottom of the ladder at the end of Round 8 as they are two wins behind the Parramatta Eels who sit in 15th position.
It now remains to be seen whether the club can lift ahead of such a momentous occasion, facing off against their biggest rivals of the last decade on one of the most important days of the Australian calendar.
Prediction: Storm by 16 points.
Broncos versus Eels
8:00pm
Suncorp Stadium
The huge day concludes with the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels facing off at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
A lot has been said about the Broncos’ resurgence under Wayne Bennett this season. After being thrashed at home by reigning premiers Souths in Round 1, the club won their next five matches to surge to the top of the ladder before running into the brick wall that was the Dragons’ defence in Round 7.
Big-name recruit Anthony Milford finally appears to be finding his feet while captain Justin Hodges will not play after suffering hamstring tightness against the Dragons at Kogarah Oval last Friday night.
By contrast, the Eels are struggling to adapt to life after Jarryd Hayne, despite picking up victories over the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Knights so far this season. This is reflected by the fact they currently sit second last on the ladder.
However, they do return to the venue of one of their biggest victories from last year, when they upset the Broncos 25-18 for their first win outside of New South Wales since they also beat that same team at the same venue in 2012.
That being said, the Eels do enjoy playing in front of their Brisbane fans and will be keen to lift in front of them in the face of what is expected to be a mostly pro-Broncos crowd on Saturday night.
The Broncos will need that crowd support if they are to return to the winner’s circle this Saturday night, and there will be no excuses for Wayne Bennett’s men not to do so.
Prediction: Broncos by 18 points.
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