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Two rounds in and the NRL hasn’t yet developed any level of normality. Some surprise teams are at the top and others are propping up the table, which has made winners a challenging proposition to pick once again.
Rabbitohs over Tigers (+14.0)
South Sydney couldn’t handle a Manly squad without Brett Stewart, which has put a slight dampener on their earlier premiership favouritism. Souths lacked the same conviction and determination of their big win over the Roosters and the Sea Eagles took advantage.
The squad will be looking for Adam Reynolds to show some offensive leadership in Round 3.
Responding to their big loss in Round 1, the Tigers took out their frustrations on a disorganised Titans squad. In extreme heat, Wests pounded the Gold Coast into submission and took the opportunity to showcase their young talent.
I said last week this team has the potential to suffer a few blow-outs in 2014. It also has the ability to inflict a few on its opponents.
From the first two games of the season, it’s become clear opposition teams have dedicated their big men to attacking the defence of Luke Brooks. He’s had 16 missed or ineffective tackles so far and it’s likely the Burgess brothers will be coming after him in this game.
Too many errors killed the Titans last week and it’s unlikely South Sydney will make the same mistakes. But if Wests can put some pressure on Reynolds and Dylan Walker on fifth tackle options, they may be able to shake their confidence.
However, the Bunnies’ pack provides a mammoth challenge for the Tigers and Aaron Woods will be forced to put in a big effort against his opposition.
A particular match-up to watch is the aerial battle between Pat Richards and Nathan Merritt. Richards was strong with a double against the Titans and his playmakers may look to him in the corner once again.
The Tigers can definitely make it a respectable score line but the Rabbitohs should handle this game easily enough, especially if their forwards provide more metres and inside-20 opportunities.
Souths will get their second win of the season, but it within 14 points.
Roosters (-4.5) over Broncos
After their poor performance against South Sydney, expectations were high for the Roosters and they responded with the biggest win of this short season, a 52-point demolition of the Eels.
It was a quick way to remove any doubts as their attacking and defensive performance was clinical throughout the match. In all, it was an excellent performance from a team chasing another title.
With two wins in the books, Brisbane are surprisingly one of three perfect teams remaining. The games have been close but it hasn’t stopped the Broncos emerging victorious on both occasions.
There are still some noticeable flaws in this team but that shouldn’t take away from the energy they’ve shown, which ought to keep them competitive throughout the entire season.
The Broncos have to hope Sydney doesn’t bring their current form up north, otherwise their perfect record will be in serious jeopardy. The Brisbane backline has been much more competent than expected and has played well enough to match the star-filled Roosters backline.
New signing Daniel Vidot has been a revelation so far, averaging a try and 142 metres per game, so he could make an impact in this game. The big men of the Broncos have also played surprisingly well and need a big game against the Roosters duo of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sam Moa, who combined for a big bounce-back game against the Eels.
The continued absence of Sonny Bill Williams will give the Brisbane second row a few opportunities to make their own impact on the game. However, Sydney has a clear advantage in the halves, with the NSW pairing contrasting to the young halves of Ben Hunt and Josh Hoffman.
Their experience and overall talent was evident against Parramatta last week and Brisbane will be busy mitigating their ability. Hoffman and Hunt will need to work hard to provide enough attacking opportunities for their squad.
The Roosters are looking to knock off one of the last perfect teams up at Suncorp. A win for Brisbane will really boost their confidence but Sydney should have too much class in this game.
The Broncos will fight hard but the Roosters will win this one comfortably enough.
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