It goes without saying, but Anzac Day is one of the best rugby league days of the year.
It’s a special time when we get to remember and celebrate the men and women who fought for our freedom and our way of life. They made Australia one of the best countries in the world to live in. Forget football, they are the true heroes of our country.
And each year the traditional Roosters-Dragons clash seems to get bigger. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the opening couple of months of the season, you can usually throw the form guide out the window when it comes to this game. Both teams lift for the occasion and there’s usually little in the result.
Having said that, it’s going to be hard to ignore St George Illawarra’s form this year. There’s one area in which they’ve improved immeasurably, which is the key to their revival under coach Shane Flanagan: their forward pack.
Since the two drubbings against the Dolphins and Cowboys (in rounds two and three), they’ve shown an ability to bully teams through the middle.
Francis Molo looks a completely new player this year, Hame Sele has been a great addition and Jack de Belin is putting together his best patch of form for a long time. Even if the Roosters win on Thursday, they’ll wake up sore on Friday. That’s what the Dragons are doing to teams at the moment.
The St George Illawarra Dragons have been one of the season’s surprise packets.Credit: Getty
When the engine room is doing its job, it makes it easier for their strike players on the edges: Zac Lomax, Moses Suli and Jaydn Su’A. I suspect Ben Hunt’s pet play is going to get a workout at Allianz Stadium, where he throws the dummy to the right side, steps off that right foot and then either squeezes his way through the line or ducks underneath a tackle. It can be a really effective play for him against tiring defenders.
Like I said last week, I’m still finding it hard to get a read on the Roosters.
Sam Walker returns to the side and I’d love to see Trent Robinson just give him the keys to their attack. He’s the most instinctive and creative player they’ve got, and as we’ve seen this year, defences have been so much better repelling a structured style of attack. He’s got a rare gift to play outside that and spark his side.
I like the return of Dominic Young on the right wing outside Joseph Manu. He will make sure those half chances are converted, and you can see how much Newcastle is missing his threat this year.
The Molo-Jared Waerea-Hargreaves battle in the middle should be a beauty, but watch for the two No.1s – Sloan and James Tedesco – to have a huge bearing on the result. There won’t be much in this.
Joey’s tip: Roosters by 4
First try-scorer: Moses Suli
Man of the match: Sam Walker
It’s hard to describe how big a loss Kalyn Ponga will be for the Knights, given he won’t play for the next three months. He’s irreplaceable to them.
Without him, it’s going to be almighty hard for them to make the top eight. You can see in the past couple of weeks, when he’s hobbling or hampered, Newcastle look a very one-paced team. They like to play a really structured style of game where they get to a point on the field and then run their plays. And when nothing is on, that’s when Kalyn’s freakish ability can take over.
Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga.Credit: Getty
But there might be hope.
I remember watching a NSW Cup match last year and Billy Slater turned around and said, “Who’s that?” I said it was David Armstrong. He just replied, “He’s got something”. That’s a huge rap for a fullback coming from Billy.
Armstrong, who will step into Ponga’s boots, is incredibly quick. He’s only slight, but he’s a terrific support player and has great anticipation. His style is a bit like that of Ryan Papenhuyzen.
If he’s half as good, the Knights might be able to make something of their season.
Rugby league is so lucky to have Reece Walsh. He’s an absolute marketer’s dream and one thing I’ve noticed these days is kids are less inclined to follow a team, but often follow players. He’s one of those that can transcend the sport.
The thing I love is that he backs up his star quality with his feats on the field. The skill and speed he has shown in the past couple of weeks has been phenomenal. When you start watching a game, you cannot stop watching him.
If he’s fully fit and firing and the Broncos can get Adam Reynolds, Payne Haas and Brendan Piakura back on a regular basis, I just can’t see who beats Brisbane this year.
Who’s going to stop them?
I’ve got one word to describe the melee that happened at the end of the Bulldogs-Knights game last week: embarrassing. All the handbags at 10 paces, pushing and shoving, and then because of that frustration it nearly spills over in the tunnel between Jack Hetherington and Reed Mahoney.
I know the world has changed, but it wouldn’t have happened years ago when men sorted out their differences on the field and then got on with it. But the rule banning punching has had consequences of little blokes niggling and generally being pests.
I don’t want to see that type of rubbish again.
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
visit website
