Mitchell Pearce ruled out of Roosters' NRL semi final against Bulldogs

Star playmaker Mitchell Pearce has been ruled out of the Sydney Roosters’ NRL semi final against Canterbury tomorrow night, with his hamstring still plaguing him.

Pearce has sat out the last three games for the Roosters after injuring his hamstring in the minor premiership-deciding clash against the Brisbane Broncos in August.

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He has been replaced by Jackson Hastings for the last three games, who will again deputise in Pearce’s absence on Friday night.

Pearce wasn’t missed in the final two regular season games, but Hastings had plenty of traffic run his way against the Melbourne Storm in the first week of the NRL finals, limiting his involvements in attack.

It was a clever piece of coaching from Craig Bellamy.

Hastings, however, did manage to put through a miraculous kick to set up a try for Shaun Kenny-Dowall, and hasn’t let anyone down in the halfback position.

The Roosters will be hoping for an improved performance from their forwards against the combative Dogs’ pack, and will want better finishes to sets from both Hastings and five-eighth James Maloney.

On past showings, the Roosters will still be confident of getting the job done this weekend, despite missing their star half.

Pearce was named to make his comeback to the game this weekend, but he still hasn’t recovered enough to take his place.