Round 15 kicks off with what should have been another
gripping chapter to one of the great rivalries of the NRL, the ‘Dogs and the
Chooks. In their last meeting, a much hyped and much anticipated round 6 match
at Allianz Stadium quickly turned into a bloodbath with the Roosters winning
38-0. Since that night, the ‘Dogs have won 7 from 8, including 4 in the trot to
sit 7th on the ladder. The Roosters have hardly skipped a beat
either and are still placed in the top 4.
Unfortunately, the two teams in this run of good form
won’t be the teams you see on Friday night. The rep calendar has destroyed this
match but both forward packs are relatively intact so be prepared of another
physical contest between two powerhouses of the NRL. The Bulldogs are heavy
favourites to exact revenge and with Trent Hodkinson outplaying the replacement
Roosters halves combo of Dan Mortimer and Mitch Aubusson, they will.
My tip: Bulldogs 20-12
Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders
Tough to watch the Tigers last Monday night. Firstly
because it may have been labelled in this ‘column’ as an ‘upset of the week’
and secondly because they looked like little boys playing against men. A number
of soft tries in their match against the Broncos last week but more
importantly, little to no resolve in their defensive middle. The Tigers simply
were not tough enough and this must have been very hard to swallow for a proud
club.
Well, things will only get tougher if the Tigers can’t
harden up this week and the loyal Campbelltown crowd may not like what they
see. The Raiders are coming to town on Saturday night in Sydney’s west and even
with Josh Papalii on rep duties; you won’t find a harder pack of forwards than
the Green Machine. They’ll do plenty of damage and then Terry Campese and co
will take over against a retreating defensive line. Campo a standout.
My tip: Raiders 30-20
Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sunday afternoon at Parramatta Stadium has the table
topping Bunnies heading west to face the NRLs cellar dwellers, the Eels. Parra
fans surely are at their wits end. They’ve not finished higher than 8th
since 2008 and have delivered plenty of reserve grade level performances
already this year. Now, Eels fans are expected to wait another year with Coach
Ricky Stuart essentially treating this season as a write-off.
Well, what better way to promote this blockbuster than to
inspire your members to get out to the game the way Parramatta have. South
Sydney, by contrast, have rewarded their long suffering fans with a remarkable
season so far and even with their try scorers missing from this match, they’ll
be very, very hard to beat. Adam Reynolds and Issac Luke lead the way again
here as Parramatta realises they paid for the wrong halfback.
My tip: Souths 28-8
Gold Coast Titans v Melbourne Storm
Monday night football comes from Skilled Park to close
out round 15 and with a much anticipated origin II only 48 hours after this match;
you’ll forgive NRL fans for not being too engaged here. Pity, there is plenty
to like about the contrasting styles of the Titans and the Storm. Melbourne
have been as good as ever in defence and will bring that same attitude to
Robina, while the Titans have shown some streaks of excitement with the ball.
So, with the Storm development structure being tested
here, we welcome five eighth Ben Hampton to first grade to partner a man 10
years his senior, Brett Finch. Fantastic. What better way to make your debut
than right next to Finch for a weekend in the Gold Coast. Hampton will come
away from his time with Finch a smoking, drinking, giggling, bona fide 1st
grader. Long may it continue. On the field, the Titans are favourites and their
spine should outscore the replacements from Melbourne.
My tip: 18-12
for live updates throughout the weekend, go to www.leagueunlimited.com
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