Sunday’s NRL 2018 Round 3 match is between Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights. The opening kick is set to commence at 18:30 local time with the game to be played at Allianz Stadium. The home team Sydney Roosters are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights.

When: 18:30 | Sunday 25/03/2018

Where: Allianz Stadium

Preview:

It will be somewhat of a Roosters reunion when the tricolours host a Newcastle Knights outfit featuring a sizeable contingent of former Roosters players.
Much-maligned Blues half Mitchell Pearce, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Connor Watson and Aiden Guerra all spent time at the Bondi club but now call the Hunter their home.
With the Knights off to a flying 2-0 start, there’s genuine optimism from Novocastrians they can return to the finals this season.
Newcastle co-captain Jamie Buhrer returns to the Knights bench while for the Roosters, Reece Robinson makes his club debut on the wing in place of Daniel Tupou who is out with a pectoral injury.
The Roosters lead the Knights 9-3 since 2010 and have won the last 3 and 4 of the last 6.
In their last two home games against the Knights, the tricolours saluted 28-4 and 38-0.

The Verdict

Will be fascinating to see the Knights’ former Roosters contingent going up against their former teammates at a home venue where the Roosters are 12-3-0 since 2017.
Hard to go against the Chooks who also boast a 7-1 (87.5 percent) line record against the Knights since 2013.
Newcastle have a 37-51-1 (42.1 percent) O/U record as an away team from 2011.

Unibet Odds: Sydney Roosters 1.32 Newcastle Knights 3.40

Odds:

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Tip: Sydney Roosters at $1.36

Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Blake Ferguson at $10.00

More Info:

Teams:

Roosters:

1 James Tedesco, 2 Reece Robinson, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Sio Siua Taukeiaho, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Dylan Napa, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Ryan Matterson, 13 Isaac Liu

Interchange: 14 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Mitchell Aubusson, 17 Victor Radley

Reserves: 18 Nat Butcher, 19 Kurt Baptiste, 20 Mitchell Cornish, 23 Frank-Paul Nuuausala.

Knights:

1 Kalyn Ponga, 2 Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 3 Sione Mata’utia, 4 Tautau Moga, 5 Nathan Ross, 6 Connor Watson, 7 Mitchell Pearce (c), 8 Herman Ese’ese, 9 Slade Griffin, 10 Jacob Lillyman, 11 Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 12 Aidan Guerra, 13 Mitchell Barnett

Interchange: 14 Brock Lamb, 15 Chris Heighington, 16 Jamie Buhrer (c), 17 Daniel Saifiti,

Reserves: 18 Ken Sio, 19 Jacob Saifiti, 20 Danny Levi, 21 Luke Yates.

NRL News:

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson warns the NSW capital risks falling behind the rest of the country if the state government’s plans to rebuild Allianz Stadium don’t go ahead.

The Berejiklian government’s push to knock down and rebuild the Sydney Football Stadium at Moore Park and ANZ Stadium at Homebush is in disarray after they were forced to postpone a major announcement this week.

MP Matthew Mason-Cox has come out against the government’s $2 billion plan while Opposition Leader Luke Foley has ruled out a knock down of Allianz and ANZ Stadiums ahead of next year’s election.

ARL commission chairman Peter Beattie has been tasked with heading a public relations campaign to sell the government’s message, with the NRL and clubs throwing their full support behind the government’s stadia strategy.

Beattie used social media to threaten to take major events such as State of Origin and the grand final away from NSW if the rebuilds didn’t go ahead.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson, whose side plays out of Allianz Stadium, said the state’s sporting facilities had fallen behind the rest of the country.

“Just being a Sydneysider I want to go to grounds like (Perth’s Optus Stadium). I watched the Perth game on the weekend or if I go down to Melbourne, I want that experience in the heart of Sydney,” Robinson said.

“The Roosters, we very much support a rebuild of our home ground.

“But as a sporting lover, I want Sydney to be the sporting capital that it is.”

The Sydney Cricket Ground Trust argues that Allianz Stadium represents a health hazard and is ill-equipped to deal with an emergency and toilet and food and beverage facilities are also sub-standard.

“It was built in 1988 and it’s actually a great viewing ground here,” Robinson said.

“It’s just the facilities don’t match the viewing ground.

“People enjoy coming and watching football here, they just don’t enjoy the amenities.

“We’re no longer just 80 minutes – sport is about an event around the game and we can’t offer that at the moment.”