Thursday’s NRL 2018 Round 7 match is between Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. The opening kick is set to commence at 19:50 local time with the game to be played at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. The away team Sydney Roosters are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters.
When: 19:50 | Thursday 19/04/2018
Where: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Preview:
For a team that has had its dramas this year regarding their performances, the Bulldogs managed to cause an upset win against the Cowboys last week. Coach Dean Pay grabbed some key players and laid down the law on how he wanted them to go about their jobs. You can always tell how a coach is received when he gets a response like the one he got, particularly from his forward pack. This is now their benchmark and will be a big area this week against a Roosters pack that has also copped its criticism. If the Roosters stick true to form, they’ll win this one as they have won and lost on and off this season. Striving for some consistency, I’m expecting a much more improved performance from the tri-colours. The Dogs will fancy themselves in this one and rightly so.
KEY BATTLE: Boyd Cordner v Raymond Faitala-Mariner
One of the battles to watch will be from a player in which I think is one of the best backrowers in the game in Boyd Cordner up against the young tearaway in Raymond Faitala-Mariner, who is fast becoming a name for himself.
The Verdict
The Roosters for me are a team that will get the win based on one of their senior leaders and talent.
Blake Ferguson to be the first try scorer.
The Roosters have a 11-19-1 (37.1 percent) record in games played in April since 2011.
Unibet Odds:
Canterbury at $2.75
Sydney Roosters at $1.46
Odds:
OFFER: Deposit $50 BET with $200 via this link – Ends Soon!
Tip: Sydney Roosters at $1.48
Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Latrell Mitchell at $10
More Info:
Teams:
Bulldogs:
1 Moses Mbye, 2 Brett Morris, 3 Josh Morris, 4 Will Hopoate, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Jeremy Marshall-King, 7 Kieran Foran, 8 Aaron Woods, 9 Michael Lichaa, 10 David Klemmer, 11 Josh Jackson (c), 12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 13 Adam Elliott
Interchange: 14 Asipeli Fine, 15 Danny Fualalo, 16 Greg Eastwood, 17 Kerrod Holland
Reserves: 19 John Olive 21 Renouf Toomaga
Roosters:
1 James Tedesco, 2 Joseph Manu, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Mitchell Aubusson, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Zane Tetevano, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Dylan Napa, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Ryan Matterson, 13 Isaac Liu
Interchange: 14 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 15 Frank-Paul Nuuausala, 16 Nat Butcher, 17 Victor Radley
Reserves: 18 Sitili Tupouniua, 20 Kurt Baptiste
NRL News:
Sydney Roosters NRL coach Trent Robinson admits Jake Friend has been hurt by what he claims is unfair abuse levelled at the co-captain by fans.
Roosters fans booed co-captain Friend during last week’s loss to South Sydney, chanting bench hooker Victor Radley’s name and banging Robinson’s coaching box telling him to get Friend off.
Friend, known for his stand-and-deliver style out of dummy-half, endured a difficult night against free-running opposite No.9 Damien Cook.
“Jake had a game he didn’t want to have last week and that was difficult,” Robinson said.
“It’s really hard. A couple of players have said it’s really hard for us to sit there after 200-odd games and, the way Jake plays, he’s our captain and he’s our captain for a reason.”
Robinson said Friend’s criticism was harder to cop given his selfless nature for the team.
“Jake just doesn’t stop,” he said.
“You’ll see 90 per cent of players at different points in their career make a decision based on how they’re feeling. Jake’s never made a decision based on that.
“It’s not a decision for him. If it needs to be done, he will do it … That’s why it hurts when some fans react that way.”
Friend’s ability to rebound against Canterbury on Thursday night will be crucial.
Rival hooker Michael Lichaa has already spoken about bringing a running game to dart through a Roosters’ middle that missed a combined 24 tackles last week.
The Roosters’ big men were much maligned in the wash-up, but Robinson also claimed they had become too easy a target this year after last season’s preliminary-final loss to North Queensland.
“I really feel like it’s unwarranted every single week,” he said.
“It’s something people go to and just blanket as a forward pack. And it hurts every one of those guys.
“On the weekend, definitely it was warranted. We didn’t stand up last Thursday. It’s easy for me to defend them, and I will every single time. But we’ve also got to prove it.”
They face a stern test on Thursday night at ANZ Stadium, with Canterbury’s representative props Aaron Woods and David Klemmer back in form after last week’s win over North Queensland.
That cause hasn’t been made any easier for the Roosters with Sio Siua Taukeiaho ruled out on Wednesday with a knee injury, while veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been dropped to the bench.
“Jared’s been one of the best props for the Roosters and he’s now got to fight for it,” Robinson said.
STATS THAT MATTER:
* The Roosters beat Canterbury 30-12 in round two
* Canterbury’s 27-point tally in Townsville last week was their most in an away match since July, 2016
* James Tedesco has six tries in five games against Canterbury
