NRL Round 26 Preview
Spazz out on 'em Ashley.
Broncos vs Roosters
Match Up: James Roberts vs Dale Copley. Last time these two teams met, Copley put Roberts in the shade but I wouldn't be expecting Copley to repeat the dose this time around. Roberts will be out for revenge so look for him to get plenty of early ball.
Key Man: Josh McGuire offers Brisbane their grunt, through the volume of carries that he takes and his never-ending metres that he seems to get. Up against a big Roosters pack and with the Finals in mind, McGuire needs to be rolling through plenty of work while the more mobile, skillful forwards shift the footy around.
Keep An Eye On: Kodi Nikorima has been ruled out for the season, so has Jack Reed which means that we will likely see Andrew McCullough roll through 80 minutes with Alex Glenn offering cover, while Tom Opacic looks set for a massive few weeks at left centre.
Verdict: Broncos <12. The Roosters forwards will bring the ruckus, I like the Broncos style of swift ball-movement though.
Bulldogs vs Rabbitohs
Match Up: Michael Lichaa vs Damien Cook. A low key feature of the Rabbitohs resurgent form has been Cook's presence at dummy half and he's coming up against his former club here, after doing a fine job for the Doggies when Lichaa was out injured last season.
Key Man: As the season moves into the final stage, Moses Mbye steps into the spotlight. I'm not convinced that Mbye can lead the Bulldogs to a Premiership at halfback, I'm open-minded though and it'll be interesting to see how he performs without the pressure of Finals footy ... ahead of the Finals.
Keep An Eye On: Peep how reliant the Bulldogs are on Will Hopoate's classy touches at fullback as he won't be playing big Finals games that fall on a Sunday.
Verdict: Rabbitohs <12. They're on the up and have all the pieces in place for an upset.
Dragons vs Knights
Match Up: Individual match ups are useless in this game, this is about two teams who have struggled all season but have done so in slightly different ways. The Knights are rebuilding, so absorbing a few poor seasons is alright while the Dragons have just sucked and don't have the same optimism floating around their club.
Key Man: Newcastle have a quality halfback in Trent Hodkinson and if he can finish the season on a high, then the Knights should win and head into summer safe in the knowledge that they have a halfback who they can build around.
Keep An Eye On: Dylan Phythian will come off the bench as a utility and he looks like a great young player for the Knights, also keep tabs of Luciano Leilua who could be on his way to the Bulldogs - hence he probably won't feature.
Verdict: Knights <12. Finish strong Newcastle.
Cowboys vs Titans
Match Up: Jason Taumalolo vs Greg Bird. Taumalolo has been in rampant form for the Cowboys all season long, so has Bird and these two will go toe-to-toe on Saturday night. Bird will be tasked with slowing Taumalolo down, which will likely involve chipping him down around the ruck area and Bird could also feature heavily with his skillful touches as well. You've got Bird's skill vs Taumalolo's power.
Key Man: If the Titans are to have any chance in this game, Ash Taylor has to simply do his job and keep the Cowboys coming off their try-line. There are other big names in this Gold Coast team who will also be influential, however this is shaping as Taylor's biggest game of his young career and a slick display - especially with his short kicking game - will give the Titans a sniff.
Keep An Eye On: Impact off the bench should come in the form of Leivaha Pulu and Agnatius Paasi, with that second wave capable of posing a threat to the Cowboys late in the first half.
Verdict: Cowboys <12. If the Cowboys are at their best, gearing up for the Finals, they should win.
Storm vs Sharks
Match Up: Cameron Munster vs Ben Barba. Many talk about how important Barba is to this Sharks team, while possibly overlooking the work of Munster and his low key influence on the Storm. Both are exceptional runners of the footy and will demand your attention whenever they do run, watch out for their passing though as they will both look to get the footy out on the edges and set up their outside backs.
Key Man: Dale Finucane has emerged as the Storm's hitman and he's become a key member of this forward pack, locking down the middle and offering a physical presence. Against the likes of Andrew Fifita, Paul Gallen and Matt Prior, Finucane will need to be at his best and tie-up the ball to limit offloads as well as metres.
Keep An Eye On: There's no Nelson Asofa-Solomona in this Storm team and I wonder if Craig Bellamy is cheekily holding him back, ensuring he's fully fit for the Finals as well as not giving the Sharks another look at him.
Verdict: Storm <12. Could this be where we see Cronulla's limitations?
Tigers vs Raiders
Match Up: Luke Brooks vs Aidan Sezer. Two left-footed halves who are crucial to their team's success for different reasons. Brooks simply has to step up and lead his Tigers to a win, giving them a chance of a Finals spot and this will be a huge game for the young halfback while Sezer must now lead the Raiders without Blake Austin and show that the Raiders can still be a threat without their No.6.
Key Man: Jordan Rankin may not be quite as important as say, Aaron Woods but the different jobs that Rankin does for this Tigers team makes him key member of the team. Rankin will get into dummy half on attack and we saw last week that he and David Nofoaluma do swap positions often, with Nofoaluma going to fullback to return kicks and Rankin playing fullback in 'good ball'.
Keep An Eye On: This Tigers forward pack is exciting and they have enough size/skill to trouble the Raiders, so keep tabs on the battle through the middle for territory and then pay attention when the Tigers hit their edges. Last week we saw Sauaso Sue used heavily out wider, for example.
Verdict: Tigers <12. More to play for and they've got a forward pack that can compete.
Warriors vs Eels
Match Up: Shaun Johnson vs Jeff Robson. Comrades at the start of the season, opposing halfbacks at the end of the season. Johnson tries to do everything while Robson will do his basic job ... and show how flawed Johnson's role in this Warriors team is.
Key Man: Bevan French's speed will pose many problems for the Warriors, especially with the Eels forward pack capable of dominating that middle.
Keep An Eye On: Michael Jennings has spent much of this season in the shadows at Parramatta and is probably due to remind us all that he not only still exists, that he's still one of the most electric centres in the NRL.
Verdict: Eels <12. It's the forward pack that swings this one.
Panthers vs Sea Eagles
Match Up: Matt Moylan vs Tom Trbojevic? Maybe Nathan Cleary vs Daly Cherry-Evans? Or how about Trent Merrin vs Jake Trbojevic? All three will be intriguing to watch, especially from a Manly perspective as these lads will steer Manly towards this post-Jamie Lyon era.
Key Man: Leilani Latu is suddenly Penrith's key forward apart from Merrin as Reagan Campbell-Gillard is out injured, meaning Latu will be responsible for much of the go-forward and little touches of skill.
Keep An Eye On: Ahead of the Finals, watch out for how the loss of Campbell-Gillard is absorbed by Penrith's forwards and how Zak Hardaker is used off the bench.
Verdict: Panthers <12. I wouldn't sleep on Manly though.