An Almighty NRL Finals Week Two Preview - Bulldogs vs Roosters
And then poof! I landed a kick in SKD's bread basket
Roosters vs Bulldogs
The first thing that strikes you about Friday night's game between the Roosters and Bulldogs is the two forward packs. Prepare yourself for one of the more ruthless battles through the middle of the field that you'll see this season because there's going to be big boys with skill and footwork going at each other for 80 minutes.
Usually when the Roosters and Bulldogs are taking on other teams, their forward packs always ensure that they are at least in the game. They'll punish you if you give them the ball back in good field possession, or kick the ball dead and they will also exploit any weakness in the physicality of your defence and your wrestling ability; if you can't slow their ruck speed down, you're in for a long night.
But both teams here have large humans who also have something different. For example, Sio Siua Taukeiaho makes defenders miss with nice footwork at the line which in combination with his ability to bump off defenders makes him difficult to stop. Then on the Doggies side we have Sam Kasiano, who when unleashed by coach Des Hasler loves to get out wider on to the edge where he displays a freakish set of hands. This won't just be an slug-fest up the guts, nah, we're going to see two forward packs trying different schemes and plays to get the upper hand.
In the toe-to-toe physical battle, the two forward packs cancel themselves out really. During the season opposition teams would have to 'get up' to play these two teams because if you lack the slightest amount of aggression or intensity, you'll be steamrolled. But in week two of the Finals, you're expected to bring aggression and intensity, which will obviously make this an epic contest. But it also means that greater importance must be put on the little blokes.
Little blokes, little blokes like Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye who struggled against the Dragons last week. In contrast, we saw what made Jackson Hastings a highly sought after young half. Things change this week however with Mitchell Pearce returning, pushing Hastings to the bench.
Pearce will always walk back into the team in this situation, no matter how well Hastings played last week. That's because Pearce is a top-class halfback, but also because for much of the season we have seen Hastings come off the bench to give Jake Friend a spell or to play alongside Friend. As we've seen, Hastings has a wide range of skills; he played fullback for the Junior Kangaroos, has played hooker off the bench this season and did a great job at halfback last week. That's a handy lad to have coming off the bench huh?
Note - This also frees up Mitchell Aubusson, my favourite battler who has enjoyed a great season as he's filled a number of positions to a high level. Hastings will take over his bench-hooker role, so Aubusson will likely come off the bench to play as an edge back-rower. This could be crucial as he'll enjoy running a-muck with tired Bulldogs forwards.
Mbye and Reynolds are quality halves but they both look like they prefer playing alongside an organiser. Last week the Bulldogs' attack was hectic and lacked any clinical execution, which you could argued kept the Dragons in the game last week. They are similar players, but Mbye is left-footed which gives them a keen runner, good kicking and passing threat on either edge.
But, if you're asking me whether I'd take Pearce, James Maloney, Friend and Hastings over Mbye, Reynolds and Damien Cook ... well I'd rock with the Roosters all day.
It's the same with the outside backs as the Roosters...
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck > Brett Morris
Daniel Tupou = Curtis Rona
Michael Jennings > Josh Morris
Blake Ferguson > Tim Lafai
Shaun Kenny-Dowall > Sam Perrett
Which is why I have to rock all the way with the Roosters, but I do so having seen this Roosters team inexplicably play poorly this season. The chances of them repeating those regular season games where absolutely nothing goes right (too often for it to just be bad luck), in week two of the Finals are slim though ... but I've seen it so the memory lingers.
I guess we've gotta come back full circle here because the only way the Bulldogs win this game is if their forwards out-play the Roosters'. If Reynolds and Mbye are playing on the back of quick ball where they can run at defenders who aren't moving forward, then that opens up plenty of options. But anything less than that, say, the typical sort of grind we see in big games and I just don't see Reynolds and Mbye being able to control the game better than Pearce and Maloney.
This will however be a brutal affair. The physicality in this game will provide a lovely advertisement for the NRL and it's what the NRL Finals are all about. It's also great for the NRL that the winner will be the team who has the best little men, which is why I've got the Roosters.