SATURDAY, JULY 20th, 2024 7:35 pm AAMI PARK, MELBOURNE
Roosters Aim to Keep Minor Premiership Hopes Alive
The Roosters aim to keep their minor premiership hopes alive as they head south to face the Storm on Saturday night.
Melbourne sits four points ahead of the second-placed Panthers, with the Tricolours trailing by an additional two points in third place.
Previous Encounter and Recent Form
In Round 7, the Storm secured a gritty 18-12 victory over the Roosters in Sydney, with Xavier Coates making the difference.
Trent Robinson’s team has found their rhythm with the ball since that loss, now boasting the most potent attack in the competition.
The Roosters won four consecutive matches before last weekend’s bye, racking up 136 points in the process.
Melbourne’s Home Advantage and Team News
The trip to Melbourne will present a new challenge, as the Storm have lost just one game at home this season and are riding their own five-game winning streak. Like the Roosters, they had a bye in Round 19.
Coach Craig Bellamy is hopeful to have Harry Grant back after Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider, while Nick Meaney returns from a calf injury.
Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Grant Anderson 6. Tyran Wishart 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Sualauvi Faalogo 15. Christian Welch , 16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 17. Alec MacDonald 18. Reimis Smith 19. Joe Chan 20. Dean Ieremia, 21. Chris Lewis 22. Lazarus Vaalepu
Roosters’ Origin Players and Team Line-Up
The Roosters are also hoping their Origin players get through the game smoothly, with Lindsay Collins, Spencer Leniu, Connor Watson and Angus Crichton featuring in the match at Suncorp Stadium.
Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 4. Sitili Tupouniua , 5. Dominic Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Terrell May 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Victor Radley 13. Connor Watson 14. Sandon Smith 15. Spencer Leniu , 16. Nat Butcher 17. Naufahu Whyte 18. Ethan King 19. Siua Wong 20. Blake Steep 21. Jake Elliott, 22. Salesi Foketi 23. Michael Jennings 24. Zach Dockar-Clay
Referee: Grant Atkins, Touch Judges, Phil Henderson, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Bunker. Ashley Klein
Key Match Facts
The Storm have won nine of their last ten games against the Roosters.
The Roosters have racked up 136 points in their past four games.
The Storm have won seven out of eight games at AAMI Park this season.
Roosters winger Dominic Young has scored 11 tries in his past nine games.
Storm five-eighth Tyran Wishart has scored four tries in his past five games.
Prediction
Matches between the two sides were evenly contested for a long time; however, the Storm have comfortably pulled ahead in recent years, winning nine out of ten matches against the Roosters since 2020. The Roosters’ lone victory in that span came at AAMI Park in a thrilling Round 24 match in 2022. This will be their first trip to Melbourne since their controversial defeat in the 2023 semi-final.
This game could potentially prove to be a grand final preview. Either team can win, and neither will be pushovers. The Roosters must improve their discipline if they want to claim the two competition points against a Melbourne team that rarely loses at home. Storm in a close finish.
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