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.
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25.04.2024
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........
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