Josh Mercer previews the round 19 clash between the Newcastle Knights and the Sydney Roosters.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Newcastle Knights Vs Sydney Roosters
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
Date: Friday, July 22, 7:55 pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesKnights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Enari Tuala 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Anthony Milford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Mitchell Barnett 14. Kurt Mann 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Brodie Jones 18. Leo Thompson 19. Phoenix Crossland 20. Tex Hoy 21. Dominic Young 22. Jake Clifford
Hymel Hunt has been named on the wing for Dominic Young. Young injured his ribs last weekend; he has been named as a reserve but may not play. Tyson Frizell (ribs) and Edrick Lee (foot) were injured last week but have been named in the side. Kurt Mann returns to the bench after missing last week’s loss to Manly. Simi Sasagi (ribs) is also out of the side, and Brodie Jones takes his place on the bench.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Joseph Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Egan Butcher 16. Drew Hutchison 17. Terrell May 18. Lachlan Lam 19. Naufahu Whyte 20. Adam Keighran 21. Ben Thomas 22. Kevin Naiqama
Luke Keary (concussion) returns, pushing Joseph Manu back to the centres. Nat Butcher starts in the second row for Sitili Tupouniua (knee). Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (hamstring) is back; joining him is Matt Lodge, taking Siosiua Taukeiaho’s (cheekbone) place. Terrell May is the new guy on the bench.
Referee: Peter Gough
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
After Keeping up with the Sea Eagles early, the Knights couldn’t keep up with them and, in the end, were ‘rocked’. Daly Cherry-Evans had the ball on a string; unfortunately, there wasn’t much that the Knights could do about it. They did show some enterprising play when scoring their two tries.
The Roosters made up for their ANZAC day loss by beating the Dragons by 28 points. Joey Maun was in fine form playing at five-eighth, and he even did a sneaky play to set up a try, which some say wasn’t in the spirit of the game. Like Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt continued his excellent form over from Origin; however, he didn’t have the support around him that could have helped him win the game.
This is another chance for the Roosters to get one back on a team that beat them earlier in the year. The Knights looked like they were in for a big season when they beat the Roosters in round one. Unfortunately, they have not gone on to have a successful season. They have shown flashes of what they can do, and they have the ‘Wonderkid’ Kalyn Ponga, so the Roosters should not be complacent like they were at the start of the season.
Manu’s brilliant turn in the halves last weekend has people calling for him to be moved from the centre position to where he can get his hands on the ball more. The man is a freak, but he does seem content to go back to the centre position so Luke Keary can play in the halves. This will be a big test for Keary, and he needs to come through the game unscathed; otherwise, his career will be in jeopardy. Trent Robinson should consider giving his star an early mark if the Roosters get out to a big lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
The Roosters have an excellent winning percentage at McDonald Jones Stadium, sitting at 70%.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Roosters by 14
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