Finals Fever - Week 3

Having gone down in the opening week of the finals, the Roosters and Cowboys responded with emphatic victories to set up a pair of Preliminary Finals between the top four sides.

BRONCOS V ROOSTERS

Finishing first and second respectively, the Broncos and Roosters will be fully aware of the intense encounter that lies ahead following their two previous clashes in 2015. In Round 6, the Broncos announced themselves as serious players with a 22-18 extra time victory at Suncorp Stadium, highlighted by a solo try to Ben Hunt that saw the Brisbane faithful in raptures. In Round 24, the Roosters overcame the losses of Mitchell Pearce and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves to hold on for a narrow 12-10 win at Allianz Stadium. In the absence of the Roosters skipper and playmaker, rookie Jackson Hastings has stood up in recent weeks, but will likely revert back to the bench with the return of the representative halfback this week.

Friday night marks the fifth time these sides have clashed in finals football, with the Broncos holding a 3-1 advantage. In 1998, a masterclass by fullback Darren Lockyer saw Brisbane demolish the Roosters 46-18 in a Preliminary Final, while the Eastern Suburbs club returned the favour in 2002 where they came from behind at the break to book a place in the 2002 decider with a win at Aussie Stadium. The most recent September clash between the two powerhouse sides occurred in 2008 where the Roosters hosted the Broncos in the First Qualifying Final; trailing 16-8 at halftime, Brisbane piled on three second half tries to prevail 24-16. The most famous meeting between the two sides occurred on August 27, 2000 when the Broncos overcame the Roosters in front of 94,277 fans to claim the Grand Final 14-6. While NRL legend Darren Lockyer was afforded the honour of being named Clive Churchill Medalist, Roosters fullback Luke Phillips produced a phenomenal game in defence that single handedly prevented several Brisbane tries.

In what may be his final game before retiring, Broncos skipper Justin Hodges will play his 250th game in the NRL on Friday night. Having played in successful Premiership winning sides for Brisbane and the Roosters, Hodges will be looking to lead his side to their first Grand Final appearance since 2006. Both sides are expected to field their best possible squads; however Broncos coach Wayne Bennett may opt to use Corey Oates off the bench, with Lachlan Maranta to come into the side as a specialist winger.

STORM V COWBOYS

Two sides full of big-game experience do battle at AAMI Park for the right to play in the 2015 Premiership decider. With the Cowboys staring down the barrel of four straight losses to start the year, North Queensland responded with a come-from-behind, golden-point win in Round 4. Trailing by 7 with under ten minutes remaining, Johnathan Thurston inspired the Cowboys to force the match into extra time, before the North Queensland captain stepped up to nail his second field goal of the game to see the home side get up 18-17 in front of a vocal 1300SMILES Stadium crowd. In Round 25, Melbourne responded to a humiliating loss to Newcastle five days earlier by producing a solid defensive performance to prevail 14-6 at AAMI Park.

The only other time Melbourne and North Queensland have met in a finals match was back in 2005; contesting the First Semi Final in 2005 at Aussie Stadium, the Cowboys bounced back from a humiliating 50-6 thrashing the previous week to run out 24-16 winners. Getting out to a 16-0 lead at the break, a try in the dying stages to interchange hooker David Faiumu secured the result for the Cowboys despite the best efforts of a Melbourne Storm side led by Matt Orford. Of the 34 players who featured in that match, only Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston remain. Saturday night will also mark the first time since 2007 that North Queensland have played in a Preliminary Final; having produced an emphatic win at home the previous week, the Cowboys travelled to Sydney to take on the Manly Sea Eagles. Tied at 6-all at halftime, the Cowboys severe injury toll came into effect in the second half as the Sea Eagles powered home to win 28-6. Melbourne last featured in a Preliminary Final against Manly in 2012; facing off against their archenemy, the Storm thrashed the Sea Eagles 40-12 to book a place in the Grand Final to the delight of the AAMI Park faithful.

The Cowboys are expected to field an unchanged side from last week's annihilation of Cronulla, however there are a few injury concerns for the Storm to contend with. Front-rower Jordan McLean will be hoping his injury-riddled season doesn't prevent him from taking part in Saturday's showdown, but the biggest concern lies over winger Marika Koroibete. Sitting out the second half of the win over the Roosters a fortnight ago, the Fijian flyer will be hoping his achilles has recovered from a laceration. Should the former Tiger be unable to take his place in the Melbourne squad, a number of contenders will be in line to take his place. Melbourne juniors Mahe Fonua, Young Tounamaipea and Richie Kennar have all featured in Craig Bellamy's side throughout 2015, while former Titan Hymel Hunt also remains an option. Another possibility for the Storm to consider will be using regular second-rower Tohu Harris in the backline, allowing an extra forward to come onto the bench to contend with the Cowboys imposing big men.

2012 was the last time the Top Four sides all made the Preliminary Final. The teams that progressed to the Grand Final both played at home (Storm 40-12 at AAMI Park; Canterbury 32-8 at ANZ).

WEEK THREE FINALS VERDICT

Broncos v Roosters

These two sides have been dominant throughout 2015; both possess near impenetrable defence, while their ability to conjure points anywhere on the field makes them enthralling to watch. The Broncos would be hoping the week off gives them an advantage, but if the Roosters performance last Friday is any indication the Minor Premiers are capable of getting into a grind before putting on tries in quick succession. At the start of 2015 few predicted these sides to be within 80 minutes of a Grand Final, the fitness of Mitchell Pearce will be a major factor in the outcome but if he can produce his best, the experience of the Roosters spine should get them over the line in a thriller. ROOSTERS.

Storm v Cowboys

While they may be teammates at representative level, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk will be doing their utmost to put their side into the Grand Final. One area the Cowboys are better suited is the experience of their interchange players; with Ben Hannant and Scott Bolton each possessing a stack of big-match expertise, the Cowboys will fancy themselves a strong chance of booking their first Grand Final appearance in a decade. COWBOYS.