ROUND 22 Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons

[TITAN PETE]

FRIDAY

Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons at Allianz Stadium, 7:35pm (local). #NRLSYDSTI

ROOSTERS: Anthony Minichiello, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Joseph 'BJ' Leilua, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Tautau Moga, Braith Anasta, Mitchell Pearce, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Friend, Frank Paul Nuuausala, Aidan Guerra, Boyd Cordner, Tinirau Arona. Interchange (from): Nafe Seluini, Lama Tasi, Mitchell Aubusson, Martin Kennedy, Brad Takairangi

DRAGONS: Jason Nightingale, Brett Morris, Chase Stanley, Nathan Green, Daniel Vidot, Nathan Fien, Ben Hornby, Dan Hunt, Mitch Rein, Trent Merrin, Matt Prior, Ben Creagh, Dean Young. Interchange (from): Cameron King, Josh Miller, Will Matthews, Jack de Belin, Jake Marketo

[TITAN PETE]

Soward still sidelined for NRL Dragons

Joe Barton AAP Tue, Jul 31, 2012 - 6:07 PM

Jamie Soward has again been left out of St George Illawarra's team to face Sydney Roosters on Friday as he struggles to overcome a back complaint.

Soward was a game day withdrawal from the Dragons' important victory over Melbourne last Friday, and again will be missing despite the club expecting to need at least four wins from their final five matches to qualify for the finals.

The talented five-eighth has been troubled by back spasms in recent weeks, and will be monitored throughout the week before a decision will be made on whether he is a chance to face the Roosters.

"We're not quite sure with Jamie's back but he's under review at the moment with his back spasms," coach Steve Price said.

He has been replaced in the No.6 jersey by New Zealand international Nathan Fien, who filled in superbly in the halves against the Storm, while centre Beau Scott (groin) has been replaced by rookie Nathan Green.

[Rage]

Nigel Wall NRL.com Wed, Aug 01, 2012 - 2:30 PM

Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons
Allianz Stadium
Friday 7.35pm

They may be out of this year?s premiership race but there?s no question the still-ruffled Roosters will be intent on avenging their heartbreaking last-minute loss to the Dragons back on Anzac Day with a retribution victory here that could potentially end the Red V?s semi-finals quest.

The Roosters started tossing around end-of-season trip ideas following last week?s disappointing loss to the Titans that left them mired in 14th place on the NRL ladder. It was another disappointing performance from the Roosters who led 10-nil until the 30th minute before losing their focus ? yet again they revealed an annoying inability to compete for the full 80 minutes, an irksome trait that has defined their season. So full of promise after nine rounds with five wins under their belt, incredibly they have banked more points from byes than on the field (just a win and a draw) in the period since.

Meanwhile the hot-and-cold Dragons bounced back from their debilitating thrashing at the hands of South Sydney in Round 20, surprising the league when taking down the Storm in backs-to-the-wall fashion in Wollongong last week. Tellingly the 26-18 upset victory included just their third-most points tallied all year (after 36 against the Tigers and 28 against the Roosters) ? although they can put 10 of those points down to a pair of length-of-the-field tries against the run of play. Regardless, St George Illawarra ? minus Jamie Soward for the second time in three weeks ? played with good structure and urgency. The overall vibe to emerge was that if they happen to string together some wins and squeak into eighth place with momentum, they could trouble some of the top-ranked sides. They certainly have the defence? they just need their attack to hold up their side of the bargain.

In Dragons personnel changes rookie Nathan Green has been named in the centres for Beau Scott, who blew a hamstring when scoring his try last week. Jamie Soward (back spasms) remains in the Dragons? casualty ward, with Nathan Fien slated to start at No.6 again. Jake Marketo and Leeson Ah Mau form an extended bench.

Coach Steve Price would be quietly confident of taking down this week?s opponent ? the Dragons have won 12 of their past 15 games against the Roosters.

Meanwhile Roosters coach Brian Smith has named an unchanged line-up, adding Brad Takairangi as 18th man.

It?s a milestone week for Roosters prop Frank-Paul Nuuausala who plays his 100th game in the red, white and blue.

Watch Out Roosters: Mitch Rein needs to be watched like a hawk when he slips into dummy-half. Rein engineered a try against the Roosters with a line-break out of dummy-half and he leads all players in that regard with eight to date. Rein and Dean Young will also pose a threat from close range ? the Dragons have crossed for eight tries out of dummy-half (second most) while the Roosters have conceded six (fourth most).

The Dragons? improved attack has come on the back of a heap more offloads in the second half of the season. Early in 2012 the Dragons were in the minority of teams for offloads but now they rank fourth with 12 every game. The Roosters rank second for limiting offloads but they?ll need to be at their defensive best to stop the likes of Trent Merrin and Brett Morris from creating damage. The pair rank third and fourth in the comp for offloads with 35 and 33 respectively.

Danger Sign: Brett Morris has been in great form all year but he?s gone up a notch since returning to the wing three weeks ago ? in that time he?s more than doubled his try-scoring tally for the season, crossing six times to now boast 11 for the year. The Roosters need to be precise with their right-edge plays or Morris will make them pay even from long range. The flyer ranks second in the comp for average metres each week (172). He needs just one more line bust to register 100 in his career. That?s a heck of a strike rate given he?s played only 125 games.

Watch Out Dragons: The Roosters are a handful for even the best defence when they manage to string together some passes ? they rank third for second-phase play with 12.1 offloads every 80 minutes. That poses a threat to St George Illawarra who are just middle of the NRL pack at limiting offloads (almost 11 conceded each game).

The Dragons need to get to their clearing kicks with urgency or else the Roosters? back three ? and in particular fullback Anthony Minichiello ? will make huge inroads. The Red V have registered the fourth-most ?poor? kick chases (32) while Minichiello is making the most runs by any player (340 so far) for almost 145 metres a match, as well as the sixth-biggest chunk of territory from kick returns in the league (1063 metres).

Danger Sign: Missing Matt Cooper last week the Dragons? left-edge defence looked vulnerable against the Storm, leaking three tries. With Cooper sidelined again expect Shaun Kenny-Dowall to take on the line from close range. At his best Kenny-Dowall is one of the toughest centres to halt. He has scored six tries in just 12 games and made seven line busts and 55 tackle-breaks.

Mitchell Pearce v Ben Hornby: Two much-maligned halfbacks in 2012 get the chance to silence their critics. Pearce is actually one of toughest playmakers to shut down, leading all No.7s for offloads (25) while he?s also proved solid setting up tries (15) and line-breaks (14) for team-mates. Much will depend on his kicking game however ? the Roosters have booted the fewest metres this year (8905), more than 1100 metres less than 15th-ranked unit North Queensland. Meanwhile 268-game veteran Hornby?s strength is his ability to put a team-mate into a hole (12 line-break assists, third most by a halfback). Expect him to be heavily involved in the centre of the park, looking to get through the front line with a jink before turning the ball inside to likely supports Ben Creagh (who has won 12 of 16 games against the chooks) or Dan Hunt. Like Morris, Hornby needs just one more line-break to hit 100 in his career.

Where It Will Be Won: Improving on their weaknesses. The compelling questions here are whether the Dragons can better their season average 15.5 points scored per match ? the lowest in the league ? and whether the Roosters can do better than their 26 points conceded every week (the second-most leaked by any team).

The History: Played 27; Dragons 17, Roosters 9, drawn 1. The Dragons have won seven of the past eight clashes ? and boast a 9-8 advantage at Roosters headquarters.

The Last Time They Met: The Dragons scored two tries in the final three minutes to snatch a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Roosters in their traditional Anzac Day clash at Allianz Stadium in Round 8.

The Roosters edged to a 12-10 lead at the break after tit-for-tat scoring in the first half. St George Illawarra drew first blood when Ben Creagh crossed in the 12th minute after a Mitch Rein line bust from dummy-half, before Aidan Guerra returned fire for the home side in the 20th minute, pouncing on a Mitchell Pearce cross-field bomb for a 6-all scoreline.

The Dragons regained the lead when Matt Cooper gathered Daniel Vidot?s smart tap-back of a Ben Hornby chip kick to score, before Anthony Minichiello outleapt his opposite Brett Morris in front of the Dragons? goal posts to make it two tries apiece heading to oranges.

Mitchell Pearce added to the Roosters? tally on the hour when he followed through his kick into the Dragons? in-goal and beat Brett Morris to the grounding, before a Michael Weyman rush from dummy-half made it 18-16 with 14 minutes remaining.

Braith Anasta?s try in the 69th minute and penalty goal with four minutes left for a 24-16 lead looked to be enough to secure the tricolours victory, before a remarkable comeback from the Red V. First Matt Prior scored after Jason Nightingale stole possession from the Dragons? shallow restart kick, before Creagh sealed the win crossing off a Michael Weyman offload adjacent to the left upright with just 50 seconds remaining.

Although the Roosters had every right to feel ?robbed? the stats showed the Dragons deserved the two competition points: they dominated completions 80 per cent to 71 per cent and made five line busts to the Roosters? one.

Weyman (a try and an assist) and Creagh (two tries, a line-break) were the Dragons? stars while the Roosters were best served by halves Anasta and Pearce (two try assists).

Match Officials: Referees ? Matt Cecchin & Gavin Morris; Sideline Officials ? Adam Reid & Luke Potter; Video Referee ? Paul Simpkins.

The Way We See It: The unpredictable Roosters are certainly capable of pulling off an upset here. However, buoyed by their victory over the Storm and with their finals chances essentially on the line we expect St George Illawarra to prove a shade too strong. Dragons by four points.

Televised: Channel Nine ? Live 7.30pm (NSW & Qld); Fox Sports 2 ? Delayed 10.30pm.

? Statistics: NRL Stats

[Rage]

By Ian McCullough AAP Thu, Aug 02, 2012 - 3:57 PM

Sydney Roosters coach Brian Smith admits the memories of his side's gut-wrenching Anzac Day defeat to St George Illawarra still hurt, but denies the game derailed his side's NRL season.

The Roosters produced one of the best displays of the season for 75 minutes to lead 24-16, in front of a crowd of more than 40,000.

But two converted tries by the Dragons, the last coming with less than 50 seconds on the clock from Ben Creagh, broke the Roosters' hearts and sealed a 28-24 win for Steve Price's side.

Since that game, the Roosters, who host the Dragons again on Friday, have won just two of 11 matches, to end any genuine hopes of finals involvement.

Among those defeats was another one that got away, with bitter rivals South Sydney winning 24-22 in round 19, thanks to two tries in the last 90 seconds.

Smith said he's been frustrated by the inability of his players to play for the full 80 minutes and was left scratching his head after their implosion against Gold Coast last week.

Having led 10-0 after 30 minutes, the Titans fought back and ran out comfortable 36-16 winners, much to the fury of the home supporters, who jeered the team off.

"I think in that game, we actually got a bit excited and started to think we could do things we didn't set out to do," Smith said.

"A few guys just broke away from the plans we had, and the focus of what we wanted to do.

"It didn't take much and the Gold Coast took that good form they're in and were too good for us."

With one of the youngest rosters in the competition, with 11 of the 17 players involved against the Titans 23 or under, Smith admits inexperience is a factor for the switch offs, but not an excuse for last week's capitulation.

"Sometimes it's just concentration - sometimes it's just trying too hard," he said.

"Confidence is also a factor, particularly where you get to where we are.

"But our practice this week has been fast and furious and hopefully we can take that into Friday."

Smith ended speculation about taking the captaincy off Braith Anasta to find a new skipper to replace the Wests Tigers-bound five-eighth.

Smith floated the idea last week, but said he was not planning to follow through with the idea.

"It was a throwaway line and I have no intention of doing that - no one here has."

[Rage]

Ian McCullough AAP Wed, Aug 01, 2012 - 10:21 PM

St George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward has slammed claims he's been faking injury as an excuse for his poor NRL form and said he hopes to be fit to face Sydney Roosters on Friday night.

Soward has missed the Dragons' last two games due to a back injury and the former NSW playmaker said rumours that he'd been dropped were wide of the mark.

"You can ring my fiancee and ask her if there is a problem," Soward said.

"This is the sort of club to say a player's been dropped due to poor form and I am not the kind of bloke to fake injury because I am not in the team.

"If I am not good enough to be in the team it is because I am not good enough.

"People drawing links between me not having a sore back and not being in the team is pretty funny.

"If I am not in the team due to poor form then that is fair enough, that is rugby league."

Soward also hit back at comments the current Dragons side is too old and that his form has been one of the reasons for the team's inconsistent season, which could see them potentially miss out on the finals should they lose to the Roosters on Friday.

"My form's been good, I've had some nice touches," he said.

"It's no `09 form, but as a team we're not where we were, everyone's form has taken a dip.

"You look at teams like the Bulldogs, are they playing like they did last year? Every team's form changes.

"I've won a premiership, I have played Origin, it is a pretty fair resume to have."

[TITAN PETE]

Soward dumped by Dragons

Ian McCullough AAP Thu, Aug 02, 2012 - 7:11 PM


Just weeks after accusing the media of a campaign against his side, St George Illawarra coach Steve Price has angrily denied he has an issue with Jamie Soward after dumping his playmaker to the Dragons' NSW Cup side.

Speaking on the Dragons website, Price railed against the "total lies and innuendo" surrounding his relationship with Soward, who will play for the Illawarra Cutters on Saturday.

Price has kept faith with the halves pairing of Nathan Fien and Ben Hornby, who inspired the Dragons to a win over Melbourne last week, for Friday's clash with Sydney Roosters.

Soward, who has missed the last two matches with a back strain, blasted claims on Wednesday he had been faking injury.

And the usually guarded Price also came out swinging on Thursday, saying the decision to send Soward to reserve grade was for nothing other than football reasons.

"Jamie has been really struggling with his back and has been working hard to get back on the field," he said.

"He worked hard with our high performance staff and he'll go back to the Illawarra Cutters and if he pulls up well, he'll be with the Cutters on Saturday.

"We've been playing pretty well over the last few weeks and I think it's been in the best interest of the team to keep the same (halves).

"But in saying that there's been a lot of speculation and innuendo around our footy club and it is total lies. I can honestly say that.

"I've had a great relationship with Jamie and I have been honest from the outset.

"We still have big plans for Jamie in the future."

Dragons prop Dan Hunt committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year deal with the club on Thursday.

[Boofhead]

Rooters can do us a favor tonight. Come on lads! :drinkies:

[Jamal's Hamstring]

So far so good. For the Titans and my Sportsbet account.

[Boofhead]

Wish I got a piece of the big odds that were offered for top 8.

Dragons were woeful tonight...

[DIEHARD]

I didn't get to see the game cause it's on GEM and don't have GEM on Foxtel sat.

[DIEHARD]

Happy about the result.

1. Helps the Titans
2. Dumps crap on the Dragons.

[TITAN PETE]

Happy about the result.

1. Helps the Titans
2. Dumps crap on the Dragons.

:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:

Dragons were lucky to score a point which probably shows how bad Melbourne were last week :surprise:

[Rage]

Yes! Added incentive for the boys to win so we can distance ourselves further from the logjam!

[Rage]

Ian McCullough AAP Fri, Aug 03, 2012 - 10:31 PM

A hat-trick of tries from Mitchell Pearce helped Sydney Roosters to a first NRL win in six attempts, a 26-10 victory over a disappointing St George Illawarra on Friday night.

The NSW halfback scored just before halftime and iced the result with two four-pointers in the last eight minutes at Allianz Stadium.

However, the win didn't come easily for the hosts, who conceded two second-half tries while winger Joseph Leilua was in the sin bin for a professional foul.

Leilua gave his side the lead midway through the opening stanza when he waltzed through the Dragons defence for his sixth try of the season and Pearce doubled the lead when he raced under the posts on the stroke of halftime.

Braith Anasta kicked his third goal four minutes after the interval to put the Tricolours 14-0 in front.

But as they have so many times this season, the Roosters shot themselves in the foot when Leilua dived on top of Chase Stanley to prevent a quick play-the ball, after the centre was chased down by Brad Takairangi, and was sent off for 10 minutes.

The Dragons took full advantage, Matt Prior diving over from the resulting penalty, and Ben Creagh showed great handling skills to haul in a Nathan Fien kick and bundle over.

However, Steve Price's men, who are the lowest scorers in the competition, were unable to add to the total when Leilua returned, with Brett Morris being denied two certain tries due to forward passes from Jason Nightingale and Nathan Green.

With the Roosters' fans in the crowd of 12,528 feeling the nerves, exciting young winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck showed why he is rated so highly by coach Brian Smith when he ran the ball 40 metres from his own in-goal area and offloaded to Pearce who cruised to the line.

Anasta added the extras before Pearce scored his third three minutes from time.

Smith was full of praise for Pearce's performance and said the NSW playmaker had only just recovered from the exertions of Origin and that showed in his display.

"I just called him Usain - it's the fastest we've seen him move for a while," Smith said.

"He was right on the ball all night. I think most of us underestimate how hard it is.

"I watched plenty of guys over the years who have played for me and for other clubs. The aftermath of Origin is immense.

"Players are shattered physically and mentally and he is only just working out how to deal with it."

Dragons' coach Price lamented his side's errors and felt his players handed the win to the Roosters, which all but ended their hopes of reaching the finals.

"They were there to be beaten," Price said.

"But through our lack of execution at times, we had two forward passes that could've led to tries if we executed them properly."