The St George Illawarra Dragons possess a terrific record on Anzac Day but will need to be at their best if they are to once again defeat the Sydney Roosters this afternoon. Join us for live scores and commentary from 4:00pm AEDT.
A full house is expected at Allianz Stadium for the latest instalment of the Roosters – Dragons Anzac Day rivalry.
Both teams head into this contest with winning form, ensuring a tough and high quality encounter today.
The Dragons have won their past three matches and have steadied the ship well after opening the season with three straight defeats.
The Roosters on the other hand have won four of their past five matches which included a 38-nil shellacking of the Bulldogs a fortnight ago.
For all their great form however, the Roosters have severely struggled against the Dragons on Anzac Day and will need to be switched on this afternoon if they are to end a poor run of form in this fixture.
The Dragons have won the past five Anzac Day clashes between the teams and invariably rise to the occasion regardless of their position on the ladder.
The Roosters however have turned Allianz Stadium into a fortress of sorts this season and will not be easily cracked today.
Prediction
Sydney has constantly ranked as one of the worst defensive units in the NRL over the past few years but not this time.
The Roosters defence thus far has been absolutely outstanding, particularly at home.
The Bondi-Junction club has not conceded a single point at Allianz Stadium since round one and have also kept the opposition scoreless in the first half for five weeks in a row now.
Such statistics showcase the new found attitude and discipline in a Roosters side that severely struggled with this aspect of their game in years gone past.
While the Dragons have won three straight, it remains to be seen if their attack will be good enough to crack a Roosters defence that will be keen to perform in front of a big home crowd.
Dragons forwards Trent Merrin, Ben Creagh and Dan Hunt will need to be at their best if they are to create the second phase needed for Jamie Soward and company to cause the Roosters defence trouble.
If the Roosters can match the Dragons up the middle, their attacking class should be enough to earn victory today.
James Maloney, Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings, Mitchell Pearce and Jake Friend are all in stellar form and will open the Dragons right up if given field position to do so.
While the Dragons will be competitive, the Roosters at home look the more likely to crow on Anzac Day.
Roosters by 10.
Coach charter Sydney
Guest
I am not interested in this game. I am never watched this type of game in my life ever
Trent Jones
Guest
Not sure what you mean take a look at the 17 for the Roosters from yesterday's game 1 Mini (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 2 Topou (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 3 Jennings 4 SKD (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 5 RTS (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 6 Maloney 7 Pearce (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 8 Moa 9 Friend (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 10 JWH 11 Aubusson (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 12 SBW 13 Cordnier (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 14 Mort's 15 Kennedy (Only played first grade at the Roosters) 16 Guerra 17 LOD So 9 have only play first grade for the Roosters, no-one else wanted Mort's when they sign him, Guerra played 3 first grade games for the Storm, JWH had played one season off the bench for Manly before we sign him and no one really wanted LOD, so I would say the Roosters are guilt of nothing that other clubs are not doing take a look at the DOGS
Roarsome
Guest
Brisbane, I grew up there, though I do watch most games when I can.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
So who do you support roarsome ?
Damien
Roar Guru
Sure is. But you're implying that the Roosters don't develop their own players which compared to other clubs is not true. So whats your issue ? Clubs should not be allowed to pick up other players ? Personally I believe clubs should be made to pay transfer fees to help offset the money the put into developing their talent. When Folau when to the Bronocos the Storm got nothing. When Thruston went to Nth Queensland same thing (except the transfer fee for Thurston wouldn't have been as large as Folau because he went over quite young). Also is Melb have unlimited money so its sort of a different thing for them. If they had to operate like normal clubs and earn their money then where do you think they would make cuts ? They lose about $6 Million a year but at the end News Ltd just picks up the tab. Lucky for some..
jack c
Guest
the dogs,sharks and souths have more players bought from other clubs,so whats your point. some make smarter purchases than others, but hey thats footy
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Who cares how many sets they have or haven't had - did someone infringe or didn't they??
dubblebubble
Guest
What did he say?
Roarsome
Guest
8 of the 17 players that played for the Roosters today were purchased from other clubs, I call that a significant fact and grounds for an interesting story about the nature of player trades in the NRL. Manly, Brisbane, Melbourne, North Queensland, all have a lower number or purchased players. Don't you think it's interesting to look at the differing models of these clubs?
Cameron
Roar Guru
Creates competition, raises the standard. All good for rugby league!
Roarsome
Guest
I think the word loyalty is a bargaining tool used by clubs to try and get players to sign for less money. It's a difficult position though puts more focus on the business model of the club and less on the coaching staff. In the NRL, I can't recall a team winning the comp with a huge number of imports (players who started their NRL careers at other clubs). If Souths or the Roosters win this year, I think we could see clubs steer further away from development as costs to develop/train continue to rise. This'll lead to a larger number of players come from overseas comps not necessarily a bad thing.
Damien
Roar Guru
Your 'Bred Not Bought' theory about the Roosters is not based on actual facts. Check out this article that goes in depth about the Roosters development. It clearly shows that for some fans you can't let the facts get in the way of a good story. http://www.roosters.com.au/news-display/Chiming-Into-The-Backline/71530
derrick
Guest
And there you go mate...you just hit the nail on the head. What your real problem is actually with the loyalty of players. After all, If all players were as loyal as those you stated then this issue of clubs buying a winning team rather than raising it wouldn't rear its head. But in actuality, this issue of loyalty doesn't only exist in the NRL. How many people start work for a company & that company invests in training that person only to later lose them to a higher paying job. If you don't know someone in such a scenario then you must live under a rock. So no this is a societal issue - not just NRL.
Roarsome
Guest
not everything is equal. Development costs $$$, players get free training from clubs an then make more money from rivals offering a slightly higher salary after zero contribution to training. One of the only industries that allows this.
Roarsome
Guest
I didn't think it was a great game, just a good display from the Roosters. Of course, the occasion of our remembrance of ANZAC Day would give any regular season match something extra special. I just feel that clubs that bring players into the NRL should be given more concessions. Not everyone has the loyalty of a Brett Stewart or a Matt Scott.
Bazzio
Roar Guru
chooks didn't need any help from the ref's, but they got more than plenty all the same. thanks for the game call Alan Nicolea
Bazzio
Roar Guru
Loved the comment by Gould about Tupou ~ "he'll be quite a handfull when he grows up"
Johnno
Guest
Don't we have a slavery cap i thought all was equal.
derrick
Guest
It's called a free-market mate. Welcome to the 21st century.
Bazzio
Roar Guru
2 forward passes the ref's let go for the chooks = just. plain. WRONG.