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The Sydney Roosters will be out to back-up their minor premiership performance when they host the experienced Cronulla Sharks outfit in the second NRL qualifying final.
The Roosters won the minor premiership after the tightest regular season in recent memory. With the top four only broken up by for and against and the next four the same, just two points further back, there was nothing in it.
In the end, the Roosters got away with it, but they haven’t been more convincing than any of the other sides in the top four, and just maybe, you could even expand that to include the bottom half of the eight.
Coming into the season, you would have been forgiven if you had of tipped the Roosters to put in a similar effort to the Storm last year and run away with the competition provided they stayed healthy – I sure was. While they have finished first, they haven’t been on the level of dominance a vast majority expected.
Some up and down performances at times leave them with questions still to be answered heading into the finals, but after two straight losses, they got their mojo back last week with a 44-10 drubbing off the Parramatta Eels.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The Sharks, on the other hand, had the worst for and against record of the four teams at the top of the ladder and as a result, have the supposed hardest gig of the qualifying finals, although they will be glad they don’t face a trip to Victoria.
They, like the Roosters, have battled inconsistency at times this season, but finished the season on the strongest possible terms, winning four games on the trot.
When it counts, Shane Flanagan’s side seem to find a way to get it done, like they did in a scrappy, gritty 17-14 victory over the Storm away from home just a few weeks ago.
That win will fill them with confidence ahead of the finals, while they simply beat the teams put in front of them during their other final games of the season, beating the Cowboys, Knights and Bulldogs.
None of those teams are particularly impressive scalps, but they put on a show against the Knights and were strong enough to get the job done in the other two games.
They have offensive flow issues like the Roosters, and if their spine doesn’t gel they don’t look good at all, but there is premiership-winning experience in this side and a week off is exactly what they need to rest their ageing veterans ahead of what could be another push to the grand final.
The Roosters have a significant advantage over the Sharks, historically. They also won at Cronulla earlier this year, but interestingly, their advantage doesn’t carry over to the Sydney Football Stadium, where they have only hold a slight lead in the head-to-head.
Their only previous finals game saw the Roosters beat the Sharks 32-20 at this venue in 2002.
Overall record: Played 94, Roosters 58, Sharks 34, drawn 2
Last meeting: Round 5, 2018 – Sharks 10 defeated by Roosters 28 at Southern Cross Group Stadium, Cronulla
Last five: Sharks 3, Roosters 2
Record at venue: Played 23, Roosters 13, Sharks 10
Record in finals: Played 1, Roosters 1, Sharks 0
Sydney Roosters
1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11 Boyd Cordner, 12 Isaac Liu, 13 Victor Radley
Interchange: 14 Lindsay Collins, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Mitchell Aubusson, 17 Ryan Matterson, 18 Nagt Butcher, 19 Sean O’Sullivan, 20 Matt Ikuvalu, 21 Kurt Baptiste
The Roosters appear to be incredibly settled heading into the finals. They have only made positional swaps from their Round 25 beatdown of the Eels, with Isaac Liu to the second row, Victor Radley lock and Mitchell Aubusson back to the bench.
Cronulla Sharks
1 Valentine Holmes, 2 Sosaia Feki, 3 Josh Dugan, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Edrick Lee, 6 Matt Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Andrew Fifita, 9 Jayden Brailey, 10 Matt Prior, 11 Luke Lewis, 12 Wade Graham (c), 13 Paul Gallen (c)
Interchange: 14 Kurt Capewell, 15 James Segeyaro, 16 Aaron Woods, 17 Jayson Bukuya, 18 Scott Sorensen, 19 Ava Seumanufagai, 20 Joseph Paulo, 21 Jesse Ramien
The Sharks were expected to have both Jesse Ramien and Ricky Leutele back. The former has been named in the reserves as an outside chance, with the likely man replaced Edrick Lee if he is declared fit to play. Leutele is back though, slotting straight into the centres with Kurt Capewell on the bench and Scott Sorensen pushed to the reserves list.
Andrew Fifita determines whether the Sharks win in the forwards or not
There are very few doubts that this game is going to be won up front. The yardage game will set the tempo, with the halves to dictate the rest, and given both of these sides can score points on their day, any prolonged periods of possession and territory could be enough to flip the momentum, scoreline and eventual result in a short block.
That being said, the forward with the most X-Factor on the field is none other than Cronulla prop Andrew Fifita.
The man who should have won the 2016 Churchill Medal in the grand final hands down has found something close to his best form in the last few weeks, getting fired up after being benched.
That move may prove to be the smartest in Cronulla history, with Fifita on the money ever since. When he actually runs straight, instead of going sideways as he so often does, he is one of the best in the competition, and could easily match the dominance of Jason Taumalolo at the Cowboys.
The difference between the duo, is that when Fifita has a big game, every applauds. When Taumalolo drops below 200 metres per game, everyone wonders what on Earth has happened.
Where Fifita should be, is in the same echelon. He always draws multiple defenders, has a very good offload and when he gets a quick play the ball, there is no better recipe to attack.
Fifita, and the level of his play determines which side wins this up front and conversely, which team will (probably) go on to win.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Cooper Cronk must stand up
While Fifita might decide whether the Sharks win the battle up front, the kicking game and control over the Roosters from Cooper Cronk could be what gets the Roosters over the line.
There is no question that any contest against the Sharks brings with it a tough battle to score points and break away with a clear lead. That being said, there are going to be tough moments and times of tension throughout the game as the opponents try to break them open.
For Cronk, this is going to be all about patience, taking the right options and not trying to force points where there isn’t the opportunity to score.
While the Sharks have a vastly experienced forward pack, it may work against them if the Roosters forwards play well enough, control the possession game and Cronk simply attempts to break them over down over a long period of time.
Even though the role of Luke Keary is also going to be important throughout, it’s Cronk who dictates the tempo and plays for his team. He has all the experience in the world and has grown with the Roosters under coach Trent Robinson throughout the year.
Cronk himself is a bit like an on-field coach, and if he can put this game on his shoulders – on his boot more accurately – the Sharks will really struggle to do what they need to do in terms of control through their forwards.
Valentine Holmes and James Tedesco will stage a war at the back
One of the best storylines to follow during this second qualifying final will be that of the fullbacks.
The pair came into the season with vastly different expectations. Holmes, a man trying to prove himself as a fullback, Tedesco, the man trying to go to the next level and prove why he was such a prized recruit for the tri-colours.
Neither had a great start to the season, being brutally honest. Tedesco struggled to fit into the Roosters system with Cronk, while Holmes struggled to make the transition from wing to fullback.
In fact, there was plenty of debate about whether Holmes should have even been playing at the back.
Since those first two months of the season though, Holmes has become one of the best fullbacks in the competition, with heads up vision, a great amount of ball running and the ability to get his sides sets off to a good start.
At the Roosters, Tedesco’s level of play has been directly proportional to his clubs. If they play well, it’s usually sparked by the man known as ‘Teddy.’
We have all seen what Tedesco can do at an Origin level, where he has played his best games. If he can rise to the occasion under the pressure of finals, then he will be incredibly hard to stop playing behind the Roosters forwards and combining with an in-form halves combination of Cronk and Keary.
(AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
The experience of Cronulla’s back row might give them an edge
Fifita is the X-Factor, but he needs other men around him to do the job, and they are the Sharks back row, who have a mountain of experience.
Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis and Wade Graham form what has the potential to be the most controlled, calm and indeed, dangerous back row in the game.
The trio need no introduction, and while the Roosters pack is dangerous, with New South Wales captain Boyd Cordner and the big hitting Isaac Liu leading the charge, they simply don’t have the finals experience of their opponents.
Lewis and Graham also bring an air of creativity to their game, with both able to pass and kick with the best of them. Graham essentially plays as a third half on the field and handles some of the Sharks short-range kicking game.
Having an option like him on the left side of the park gives the defence an extra problem to worry about, and while the Roosters defence has been good this year, they are still prone to the odd brain explosion, especially on the outside with players like Latrell Mitchell and Blake Ferguson lining up.
This has the potential to be the match of the weekend. Two teams who have the ability to throw it around, but lock down and defend when need be. It makes it a tough one to tip as well.
Despite the fact the Roosters got the minor premiership, they still have questions to answer after two back-to-back losses before their win over the Eels last week.
That’s not to say the Sharks don’t have questions, but they have flowed much better in attack over the second half of the season and with Andrew Fifita finding his rhythm and their second row finally back at full strength for a prolonged period of time, they should get the job done.
Sharks by 6.
Date: Saturday, September 8
Kick-off: 7:40pm (AEST)
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
TV: Live, Fox League, Nine Network
Online: Live, Foxtel app, Foxtel now, 9Now
Betting: Roosters $1.55, Sharks $2.45
Referees: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins
Don’t forget, The Roar will carry live coverage and highlights of each NRL finals match so you won’t miss a moment of the action.
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