TipResumen

INTRODUCTION

The second placed Sydney roosters will look to consolidate their position in the top 4 and maybe even go into top spot here with a win. Meanwhile the 7th placed Broncos have to win to ensure they stay in the top 8 and stay far enough ahead of the chasing Wests Tigers.



SYDNEY ROOSTERS

The Roosters are a real chance of claiming top spot by the end of the regular season as long as they can claim a victory here against the Broncos. If they can dispatch the Broncos their last match up is against the Eels, albeit away for the last regular game of the season. Last weekend the Sydney Roosters came unstuck with a prime opportunity to take top spot against the Raiders. In a match where the Roosters were expected to win, the Raiders played out of their skins to hold the Roosters to just 2 tries, which is their best defensive effort of the season. For the Roosters a loss doesn’t mean too much but slip out of the top 4 with another loss could spell disaster for Sydney. This is a must win. Final score last weekend 14- 12, on the back of a 4 penalty kicks to Sam Williams. Being it was a quiet weekend on the attacking front for Sydney I expect them to be much more attacking focussed. Much of this could come from the returning Keary who will partner Cronk in the halves. Luke Keary returns to the starting line up with Waerea-Hargreaves a slim possibility from the reserves to play.



BRISBANE BRONCOS

Brisbane have a lot to play for as they currently sit in 7th position but with 2 losses could drop out of the 8 completely (highly unlikely though), vice versa two wins could propel them into the top 4 if results go their way. Last weekend the Broncos smashed the Rabbits 38-18 with a very strong display in the second half. Going into HT the Rabbits scored late to make it 18-8 and the second half resulted in a very strong showing and the Broncos turned a few heads in running away with a 20 point victory. Their halves have been up and down all year, but last week both Milford and Nikorima played well, with the latter crossing the stripe late on to cap off a great night for the Broncos. If Brisbane are to have a chance in this one they must play to the same standard as last week or the smothering style of defence the Roosters employee could drown Brisbane and make it very tough to score. The Broncos have named Kotoni Staggs to replace Patrick Mago on the bench and Matt Lodge to start for Joe Ofahengaue.



THE BETTING VERDICT

The Tedesco v Boyd battle should be worth the price of admission alone in this one and I am expecting a very tight game with little in the final result. Along with this fullback match up, Milford v Cronk and Radley v McGuire are just a few more battles to watch out for. You can be sure Wayne Bennett would have been targeting this game for some time and there will be some extra video sessions to prepare for this one. With that in mind the broncos defence should be a little tigther than usual and therefore the attacking forays may be a little less than usual. So look for a lower scoring game and the result to be close. These two sides met in round 11, in Brisbane, with the Broncos claiming the spoils 28-22.