After suffering one of the biggest upsets in recent NRL seasons, the Roosters will look to get their season back on track against a Warriors side that hasn’t won on Australian soil for almost a year, but enters the contest off the back of an impressive Round 1 victory.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Sydney Roosters Vs New Zealand Warriors
Venue: Allianz Stadium
Date: Saturday March 11, 3:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Lindsay Collins 9. Brandon Smith 10. Fletcher Baker 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Jake Turpin 15. Drew Hutchison 16. Naufahu Whyte 17. Terrell May 18. Corey Allan 19. Ben Thomas 20. Sandon Smith 21. Siua Wong 22. Elie El Zakhem
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Edward Kosi 3. Brayden Wiliame 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Josh Curran 17. Tom Ale 18. Viliami Vailea 20. Freddy Lussick 21. Ronald Volkman 22. Taine Tuaupiki 23. Bayley Sironen
Referee: Adam Gee
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Sydney Roosters were left reeling after a shock Round 1 defeat to The Dolphins and will look to bounce back when they host the New Zealand Warriors at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It will be just the third time the Roosters have played a match at their brand new home after splitting meetings with the Rabbitohs in September last year. The loss to the Dolphins will also continue to hurt the Roosters in Round 2, with both Brandon Smith (ribs) and Victor Radley (concussion) racing the clock to take the field. Meanwhile, Matt Lodge didn’t even get named having been ruled out for four to six weeks after surgery to repair a facial fracture. Considering they are already without representative forwards Angus Crichton and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, the Roosters’ forward depth will be tested against a new look, but formidable, Warriors pack.
Coming into this match the Roosters have won six consecutive matches against the Warriors and it’s often been off the back of some James Tedesco brilliance. Tedesco was below average by his standards on the weekend and will no doubt be looking to make amends against a side he’s relished playing in the past. If the Roosters are to fire and put their Round 1 loss in the rear-view, then the rest of the spine will also need to play their part. The Roosters backline will also welcome back Joseph Manu sooner than expected as he slots into the centres, with Drew Hutchison dropping to the bench and Corey Allan to 18th Man. They won’t, however, be able to dominate through the star-studded backline unless their forwards can match the aggression of their Warriors counterparts and lay an effective platform for the stars to make the flashy plays we’ve seen the Roosters put on at home against the Warriors in years gone by. That probably remains a key to the Roosters tasting victory for the first time in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have not had a victory in Australia since April 2022. However, they will enter this contest with plenty of confidence, going in unchanged after a Round 1 win against the Knights. The Knights victory was built largely on the Warriors’ new faces and new coach Andrew Webster leaving his mark on the team. He will look to become the first Warriors coach to win in the first two rounds of an NRL season come Sunday. The new forward trio of Barnett, Ford, and Niukore instantly helped the potency of the Warriors pack, with all three making a line break in the Round 1 victory and providing opportunities for points – something that has been a problem in the Warriors pack in recent years. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was also stellar in his return to the Warriors after playing in Canberra. He scored a well-deserved try but it was his confidence and work rate, punctuated by 19 runs, that helped steady the Warriors.
The Warriors were plucky in last season’s 22-14 defeat at the SCG, hamstrung by some questionable calls. They have scored more than 14 points against the Tricolours just once in their last eight clashes and their new-look attack will need to be better this time around if they want to compete.
Forget everything you knew about the Nathan Brown-era Warriors: Webster has a limited squad at his disposal but a tenacious one that will invariably perform above the sum of its parts and already looks improved on 2022. Will that be enough to compete against a star-studded but injury-affected Roosters at Allianz? Despite it appearing unlikely, if Round 1 showed anything, its that in the NRL any team can win on their day and records are made to be broken.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Roosters 7, Warriors 3.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Roosters by 16 points.
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