Brisbane Broncos v Sydney Roosters
And so to mighty Suncorp Stadium for the Friday night death match between home town Broncos and big gun Chooks, and it should be a ripper. It could of course be a risk-less bash-fest, as sheep station games can be. But here’s hoping it isn’t. And it shouldn’t be when both teams have such crack hot weaponry.
But a winner? Let us count the ways.
Cattle: On names, on paper, it’s got to be the Roosters. Chock-full of internationals, brutal bench-warmers, super-speed in Michael Jennings, hot-footed excitement in Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, and tries and metres of the D-zone by Daniel Tupou and Shaun Kenny-Dowall. They sport one of game’s best back-rows in Mitchell Aubusson, Aidan Guerra and Boyd Cordner. Their Origin halves are complemented by Jackson Hastings whom Phil Gould says has the best last-tackle options of the Roosters last tackle options. Jake Friend should take Cam Smith’s maroon jumper. The Chooks are the best team in the comp, as their minor premiership attests.
The Broncos, of course, are not without players themselves. Darius Boyd, Justin Hodges, Jack Reed, Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt, that’s a serious backline. Sammy Thaiday’s been bopping about on the fringes for a decade. Corey Parker’s done it for longer and in my opinion is better than his counterpart Paul Gallen. And the rest of their forwards tackle like they’re paid per hit.
Form: Roosters, again. They dropped one against hyper-competitive Melbourne Storm in finals week one but that was their second loss since Anzac Day. In April. They know how to win because it’s all they’ve done all year. The Chooks have been the best and most consistently hard mob in the comp.
The Broncos, again, are not out of form. They beat North Queensland in a cracking and classic derby game at Suncorp two weeks ago. They lost to the Roosters by just two points in a bash-fest Round 24. You do like the Broncos, especially at home. But they lost to Sea Eagles, Bulldogs, Roosters and Storm in the last six weeks of the comp. So on form - Chookies.
Coaching: Equal. They won’t make any difference. Both coaches have done all their talking in the week. During the game they sit there relatively mute, even useless. They’re not useless. Half-time they might make the odd observation. But coaches, for all the press about them, their effect on the outcome is negligible.
X-Factor: Chooks, again. Both teams sport game-breaking crackerjacks in Tuivasa-Sheck and Milford. But RTS has more line breaks and metres than anyone in the game. And a step that no-one’s worked out yet. Throw in Jet Shoes Jennings and leaping Dan Tupou and yep, Chooks for X-Factor.
The Ground: Broncos, and by some margin. The one thing Brisbane has in their favour is the ground and the hometown support. Suncorp Stadium, filled to bursting, Origin atmosphere, just about all of the noise and support will be for Brisbane. It’s the one big thing the Roosters will have to combat. Because if the Broncos have a lead with ten minutes to go, the crowd will be like another layer in an already staunch defensive wall.
Melbourne Storm vs North Queensland Cowboys
Down in Melbourne there’ll be another sell-out death match as surging Storm take on hot Cowboys. And it’s too tight to call.
Cattle: You could make a case for Storm on the back of their three world-class players in Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk and Jesse Bromwich. But the Cows sport four standouts in Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott, James Tamou and rampaging lock Jason Taumalolo. Both teams sport “functional” three-quarters with exciting runner Marika Koroibete in doubt with a gash in his achilles. Both packs of forwards have hard runners and brutal D-men, and edge runners who’ll hang off their playmakers’ hips. The Cows probably have a bit more at No.6 in Michael Morgan but Blake Green’s had great numbers in terms of line-break assists. Bottom line, can’t split ‘em for cattle.
Form: Again, too close to call. Storm sort of meandered up to the finals, winning a couple, dropping another one, and somehow finishing fourth. Then the beat the best team in the comp, had two weeks break and are now one win from yet another decider. Storm know September.
North Queensland were better in the season proper and have played two super-impressive finals. They played a classic against Brisbane and didn’t lose any friends. Then torched the Sharks 39-nil. They owned the Sharks. The week off would favour Storm, probably. But the Cows are hungry like the wolf.
Coaching: Storm. Craig Bellamy has been at the helm of Storm since the time of Moses and two of his on-field generals are like human chess pieces that run about doing exactly as he commands. And if that’s not working they do something else better. Storm won’t get away with as much in terms of wrestling this week, the referees will have absorbed some of the fortnight’s press, they are but men. But Bellamy will know that. And his generals and man-beasts will know that for they are supremely well-drilled in the dark arts of jui-jitsu. There can be too much made of it, for all teams do it. But it could be the defining element of a super-tight fixture - how quickly the champion halves can get the ball going forward.
X-Factor: Nothing in it. Thurston has magical hands, Cronk has magical feet. Koroibete can run like a hairy goat. Gavin Cooper knows a line off Thurston’s hip like a hunting dog. Kevin Proctor and Ryan Hinchcliffe know Smith and Cronk the same. Lachlan Coote and Michael Morgan have fine footwork. Matt Duffie’s a leaper, Cameron Munster a revelation. Will Chambers. Antonio Winterstein. There’s nothing in it. These are hard and fine squadrons. It’ll come down to mistakes, penalties, completions, repeat sets.
The Ground: Storm - but it doesn’t really matter. AAMI Park will be packed with 30,000 purple haze people but it’s not exactly Suncorp throbbing Origin night. Melbourne’s a “nice” place - teams don’t fear it. Storm will have an advantage. They know the joint. But Thurston doesn’t care. And there’s a feeling of destiny about the champion’s progression to his first grand final since 2004.
