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Roosters and Broncos to clash in potential grand final preview

Roar Guru
18th August, 2015
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Would the Broncos have won if there was a captain's challenge? (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Roar Guru
18th August, 2015
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1349 Reads

If the form shown by the Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters throughout this season is anything to go by, then Saturday night’s showdown between the current top two teams could serve as a preview to this year’s NRL grand final.

The Broncos and Roosters have been the two clear stand-out sides this season, with the former club rediscovering their premiership-winning potential under Wayne Bennett and the latter club having notched up nine straight wins since early June.

A lot has been said about the Broncos and how they have reemerged as a premiership contender in 2015 after Bennett returned to the club following six years away.

In his absence, the club was coached by Ivan Henjak and Anthony Griffin for two and four years respectively, but despite reaching a preliminary final in the first year each of those tenures, the Broncos were deemed to have underachieved.

However, with Bennett back at the helm this season, the club has rediscovered the aura that saw them win six premierships between 1992 and 2006, and with three rounds to go in the season currently sit on top of the ladder.

After being thrashed by reigning premiers South Sydney in Round 1, it was thought that the Broncos still had a lot of work to do if they were to again become the powerhouse club they once were during Wayne Bennett’s initial 21-year stint between 1988 and 2008.

Since then, the club has surged to the top of the ladder on the back of impressive form from core players of Darius Boyd, Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt, among others, and are in prime position to clinch their first minor premiership since 2000.

However, they do face a huge challenge this weekend when they take on the second-placed Sydney Roosters, who will be looking to extend their winning streak to ten matches at Allianz Stadium this Saturday night.

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Only the North Queensland Cowboys (eleven wins in a row between Rounds 4 and 15 inclusive) have won more matches in succession this season, and not since 2002-3 have the Roosters won ten matches in a row.

Trent Robinson’s men had initially struggled to adapt to life after club legend Anthony Minichiello. Sonny Bill Williams, who was credited for turning the Roosters’ culture around, was also missed with the club losing five of their first eight games of the season.

The four-game losing streak between Rounds 5 and 8 was the worst since Robinson took over as coach at the start of the 2013 season and came after Blake Ferguson suffered an ankle injury that could have sidelined him for up to four months.

Their good form has also been attributed to not only the leadership shown by co-captains Mitchell Pearce and Jake Friend this season, but also the former’s ability to bounce back from yet another State of Origin disappointment.

The Broncos and Roosters met in a thriller at Suncorp Stadium earlier this season with the hosts winning in golden point extra time via a try to halfback Ben Hunt.

The previous meeting before that saw the Roosters score two tries in the final five minutes to stun the Broncos 30-26 after they had been down 18-26, also at Suncorp Stadium.

Their last meeting at Allianz Stadium, the venue for this Saturday night’s showdown between the two competition heavyweights, saw the Roosters grind their way to an 8-0 victory early in the 2013 season en route to the premiership.

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If those last three matches, and the form shown by both clubs so far this season, is anything to go by, then not only will Saturday night’s clash shape as the minor premiership decider, but also a possible preview of this year’s NRL grand final.

Highlighting the importance of this match are the two clubs’ percentages. Though the Broncos are only a game clear of the Roosters on top of the ladder, the second-placed Chooks’ points differential is +223 while the Broncos’ is +169.

It means that if the Roosters win, not only will they join the Broncos on top of the ladder, they will also take the competition lead with two rounds still to play after the conclusion of Round 24.

They would also bid to become the first team since the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 1995-6-7 – other than the salary cap-cheating Melbourne Storm – to win three consecutive minor premierships and the first since the NRL was formed in 1998.

Otherwise, a Broncos win would see them almost certainly lock up the minor premiership, which would be their fourth overall but first since 2000.

After this weekend, the Roosters will face the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and South Sydney Rabbitohs in their final two matches, while the Broncos will return to Allianz Stadium for the second time in six days to take on the Rabbitohs before finishing their regular season against the Melbourne Storm at home.

Thus, the race for the minor premiership will go down to the wire, with this Saturday night’s match between the Roosters and Broncos to go a long way towards deciding who will finish this season on top of the ladder.

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That being said, you can also expect both clubs to throw everything at each other as they test out their premiership credentials in front of what is expected to be a huge crowd at Allianz Stadium.

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