Roosters v Bulldogs preview

Sydney Roosters v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Allianz Stadium - Friday 7:55pm

Former Grand Finalists do battle to keep Premiership dreams alive.

After sustaining their first loss in over three months, the Sydney Roosters face a sudden death showdown against a Bulldogs side that finished over the top of the Dragons in extra time. Tipped by many to have little trouble accounting for Melbourne last week, the Roosters will be buoyed by the news that Mitchell Pearce will play on Friday night. Sustaining a hamstring injury against Brisbane in Round 24, the Roosters captain has been forced to watch on as his side secured the Minor Premiership, only to squander their chance of having an extra week to recover before the Preliminary Final. While doubts over his fitness will dominate discussion in the lead-up to the game, youngster Jackson Hastings has performed strongly in recent weeks and will be more than ready to step up if the representative playmaker is unable to take his place in the side. Friday night will also mark the final home appearance for Roosters duo Roger Tuivasa-Scheck and James Maloney before they depart for the Warriors and Sharks respectively next season; both players have been driving forces behind the Roosters success in recent seasons and will be eager to give the Allianz Stadium faithful a memorable farewell with a win.

Coming into the first week of finals football, Canterbury were expected to dispose of St. George Illawarra with ease. While the Dragons certainly performed above expectations, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalise on their wealth of possession and were fortunate to win courtesy of a Josh Reynolds field-goal in extra time. With Frank Pritchard successfully overturning a dangerous contact charge at the judiciary on Tuesday night, coach Des Hasler will have the luxury of retaining the same squad, with Lloyd Perrett included on an extended bench as cover. Since their previous meeting with the Roosters in Round 21, the Bulldogs have gone onto win their next six matches; averaging 23 points a game in attack, 16 in defence. The Bulldogs have played little finals football at Allianz Stadium in recent seasons, but they will have fond memories of last year's victory over Manly, where two field goals from Trent Hodkinson gave the Blue and Whites the win in extra time.

Last meeting: Round 21 2015 - Sydney Roosters 38 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 28

Who to watch: In his first full season in the NRL, Sio Siua Taukeiaho has rejuvenated the Roosters forward pack. Following the departure of Sonny Bill Williams last season, many expected the void left by the dual-international to prove too much to compensate for, but in Taukeiaho the Roosters have found an attacking spark that looks set to blossom in the coming years. Barging his way over for a try last week, look for the Kiwi bolter to take on the likes of Frank Pritchard and Greg Eastwood to set up a showdown with the Broncos next week.

Producing a Man of the Match performance against his former club last week, Josh Morris will be out to continue his strong form late in the season with a strong showing over the Roosters. Facing off against Blake Ferguson, the man in line to potentially replace Morris in representative sides, the Bulldogs centre will have a running battle with the reformed bad-boy on Friday night that will go a long way to determining the winner of the match. Closing in on a century of tries, Morris will be looking to cross for a double in order to achieve the feat, but will be more than willing to settle for a win.

The favourite: With the return of Mitchell Pearce, the Roosters are favoured to progress to their third consecutive Preliminary Final.

My tip: Both sides are capable of moments of brilliance, but they are equally adept at failing to capitalise on opportunities. The Bulldogs were far from impressive last week and with the Roosters receiving a wake-up call following the loss to Melbourne, expect the Bondi boys to set up a meeting with the Broncos next week. Roosters by 10.

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Michael Jennings 4. Blake Ferguson 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. James Maloney 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Sam Moa 9. Jake Friend 10. Dylan Napa 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Aidan Guerra 13. Siosiua Taukeiaho
Interchange: 14. Jackson Hastings 15. Isaac Liu 16. Kane Evans 17. Mitchell Aubusson 18. Suaia Matagi

1. Brett Morris 2. Curtis Rona 3. Josh Morris 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Sam Perrett 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Moses Mbye 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Damien Cook 10. James Graham 11. Josh Jackson 12. Frank Pritchard 13. Greg Eastwood
Interchange: 14. Sam Kasiano 15. Shaun Lane 16. David Klemmer 17. Tim Browne 19. Lloyd Perrett

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins; Sideline Officials: Jason Walsh, Nick Beashel; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea;

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