PREVIEW: Intrust Super Premership Semi Finals

NSWRL's Simon Masterton previews all the action of Sunday's Intrust Super Premiership Semi Finals.

Wests Tigers (3rd) v Wyong Roos (6th)

Pepper Stadium, Sunday 11 September
4pm
Broadcast LIVE on SteeleSports.com.au and Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 FM

One has ground out a win in a Golden Point thriller to stay alive, while the other was dominated by a side that looks destined for the Grand Final; when the Roos meet the Wests Tigers on Sunday afternoon, anything could happen.

In a third-plays-sixth battle in Penrith, the Tigers have the upper hand with two wins over the Roos earlier in the season. A Round 3 demolition of Wyong was promising for the Tigers, with Watson Heleta, Josh Addo-Carr and Chance Peni all scoring doubles in the 44-16 scoreline, before a much closer affair in Round 10 saw the Tigers win 24-22. The men from Concord, however, have been unconvincing in recent times, with a Round 23 win over Wentworthville the only serious highlight of the past six weeks. Against the Cutters last week, they were simply on the back foot from kick-off and would go on to give their opposition 11 line breaks at UOW Jubilee Oval.

The Roos have now won four from five and have demonstrated in recent weeks the game management skills that are essential in finals football. They got away with the one-point win against Canterbury-Bankstown last week - particularly impressive given their 10-minute stint with just 12 men - but will know that improvement is necessary to defeat the top sides. A completion rate of 66% is unlikely to cut it this week and as the two worst defensive outfits left in the competition, both sides will need to clean this up as well.

With both the Tigers and Roosters out of NRL finals contention, the time has come for eligible players to return to the Intrust Super Premiership to bolster their chances. This, however, appears to have only benefitted one side; while the Roosters will send young talent back to rejoin their Holden Cup finalists, the Tigers will welcome back Michael Chee Kam, Josh Addo-Carr, Curtis Sironen and Joel Edwards. With Watson Heleta and Manaia Edwards also rejoining the squad, the Tigers will field a much stronger outfit than they did last weekend.

Where it will be won:

Completions and discipline aren't glamorous but will need to improve for either side to win this one. A total of 16 errors for Wyong and 12 for the Wests Tigers will have been looked at by both coaches throughout the week and are key to progressing to the Preliminary Finals; as suggested above, either of the two relatively poor defensive sides should be able to build scoreboard pressure quickly simply by holding the ball.

Key match-up:

The back three for both sides are particularly strong and have been doing a lot of legwork for the Tigers and Roos respectively. While Wyong lose a big talent in Chris Centrone - who was a late inclusion last week - the trio of Dominic Reardon, Omar Slaimankhel and Kieren Gallagher will still be aiming to replicate the 488 metres they combined for last week. On the other side of the field will be Heleta, Addo-Carr and speedster Charlie Taylor - a formidable combination who, with good service from their halves, can outpace any team in the competition on their day.

Ins:

Wests Tigers: Watson Heleta, Michael Chee Kam, Josh Addo-Carr, Curtis Sironen, Joel Edwards, Manaia Rudolph
Wyong: Kieren Gallagher, Alex Langbridge

Outs:

Wests Tigers: Luke Sharpe, Chance Peni, Jacob Liddle, Esan Marsters, JJ Felise
Wyong: Chris Centrone

Newtown Jets (4th) v NZ Warriors (5th)

Pepper Stadium, Sunday 11 September
6:35pm
Broadcast LIVE on SteeleSports.com.au, Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 FM and Fox Sports 501.

Fourth plays fifth in a blockbuster Semi Final this Sunday in Penrith, with the toss-of-the-coin battle to decide who plays Illawarra in a Grand Final Qualifier.

The Jets, who had shown their class against the top teams on multiple occasions this season, failed to do so last week against Mounties; despite losing try-scoring machine Kato Ottio in the first half, the Minor Premiers made short work of the blue baggers in their 30-12 win.

The Jets will return to Pepper Stadium to take on the Warriors, who are coming off a solid win in wet conditions at Mt Smart Stadium. After a second-half meltdown gave the Panthers a comeback win in Round 25, they managed to prevent a repeat against the same opposition last week - although came closer than they would have liked in the second half. It was hardly a top-shelf performance from the Warriors, but they demonstrated an ability to close out the game that has eluded them in recent months.

While the Warriors did just enough to stay alive in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW Finals Series, the Jets were the major shock; they were on the back foot from kick-off against the competition favourites, with fullback Zac Santo immediately making an impact in his return. A total of 42 missed tackles is unforgiveable at this level and they will fail to challenge for the title unless their defence improves dramatically. The Warriors, meanwhile,

Aside from an extended bench, Newtown have named the same 17 that lost to Mounties and while a stable roster is key at this time of the year, the players will need to have improved in their eight-day turnaround. The Warriors will not play another home game in 2016 and face the unfavourable task of crossing the Tasman to defeat Sydney teams, but the inclusions of Ken Maumalo and Jazz Tevaga will help on this front. It is an appetising fixture that will be shown live on Fox Sports to a large audience.

Where it will be won:

Much has been made of the Warriors' second half struggles and while fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has assured that it isn't a worry for the side, they will need to contend with it again this week. The big Newtown bench of Kurt Dillon, Kurt Kara, Harrison Muller and Kenny Niko contributes significantly to their go-forward and will ensure that the Jets don't let up in attack at any point throughout the 80 minutes. For the Jets, the issue is clearly in defence; last week they leaked 30 points against Mounties for the second time in a month and throughout that period, they have averaged 27.5 points conceded per game.  

Key match-up:

In attack, the back three for either side will do wonders in both gaining metres and putting points on the board. The combination of Nicoll Klokstad - who has been shifted from the centres this week - Henare Wells and the returning Maumalo is a potent one, while the Jets' Jaline Graham, Travis Robinson and Jacob Gagan form a trio that is experienced in big games and will contribute to a lot of metres coming out of their own half. Defensively, everyone needs to buy in but key for Newtown are their halves, who were asked questions of last week by Mounties' forwards.

Ins:

Newtown: Corin Smith, Brett Anderson
NZ Warriors: Ken Maumalo, Jazz Tevaga, Nathaniel Roache, Marata Niukore

Outs:

Newtown: (none)
NZ Warriors: Ligi Sao, Fetalaiga Pauga