- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Sydney Roosters have taken their third win of the 2016 NRL season and kept their finals hopes just barely alive, defeating the Wests Tigers by 14 points on Sunday.
REPORT: ROOSTERS WIN IN THE WET
Final score
Sydney Roosters 32
Wests Tigers 18
WHAT’S NEXT? FOLLOW OUR RABBITOHS VS TITANS LIVE BLOG
The Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers do battle at Allianz Stadium in what shapes as a must-win clash between two clubs who have been well off the pace this season. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4pm (AEST).
While it could quite easily be debated that both of these teams are already out of finals contention, and that certainly may be the case, this really does feel like the last chance to start winning.
The Roosters are now in a predicament where they would have to win a huge and probably unrealistic 10 of their last 13 matches this season to be in with a hope of playing in September.
Considering they won just two of their first 11, a match like this against the struggling Tigers is vital.
The Tigers are faring slightly better, on 10 points but sitting only one place ahead of the Roosters in 14th. However, considering they are yet to have a bye it isn’t that much of a leap to the top eight.
It is when you look at their upcoming schedule though, which includes the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Melbourne Storm, Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs.
While the Roosters had a bye last week, the Tigers were able to record a one-point victory over an Origin-depleted Brisbane Broncos outfit, and it means they have now won two straight with a win over the hapless Newcastle Knights.
Neither team has been able to compete with the best in the competition so far this year, and that has to change – it could come on the back of some momentum and confidence as they have displayed signs of life this year, but been unable to put it together consistently.
In team news the Roosters have Dale Copley returning, with Aidan Guerra in the back row. Isaac Liu and Sam Moa are both on a five-man bench, with Jared Waerea Hargreaves in the front row. The Tigers have Robbie Farah, Aaron Woods and James Tedesco all returning, with Jordan Rankin dropped. Tim Grant and Dene Halatau join a six-man bench.
The Tigers need to look for an upbeat game style here, utilising the talents of Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks and James Tedesco. That trio is massive for the club, and when they get going any sort of offence is possible.
The Roosters will look for the complete opposite – a game up the middle led by Jared Waerea Hargreaves and a strong kicking game from Mitchell Pearce. Unfortunately, their defence may not be good enough so the likes of Latrell Mitchell need to stand up and deliver points.
Prediction
The Roosters have been ordinary to say the least, and the Tigers have just shown a thing or two in the last fortnight. With James Tedesco back on the park they should get the job done.
Tigers by 8.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 13 match from 4pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde