Round 21: Titans v Roosters preview
Titans, Roosters Facing Yet Another Must Win Game In Underwhelming Respective Seasons
It feels like every week we find ourselves saying something along the lines of "this is it, the Roosters simply have to win this week or they are finished." This is then followed by the Roosters throwing out yet another uninspiring performance en route to a loss that puts them one step closer to missing their first finals series since 2016.
It just doesn't make sense for the Roosters to be playing this badly. They were absolutely insipid against Melbourne last week, basically giving up as soon as the Storm scored their second try, and it wasn't the first time this year the players have looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than on the football field.
It's expected for the collapse of the Roosters to be getting wall to wall coverage considering they were right up there in everyone's predictions for the premiership this season, but what's gone under the radar a bit has been the Titans season slipping through their fingers over the last few weeks to the point where it's essentially over now.
Coming off a boilover win against the table topping Broncos, the Gold Coast looked primed to have a genuine stab at returning to the top 8 for the second time in three seasons. Since then, they have lost by four points, two points and one point, and the argument could be made that they played better than the Raiders, Dolphins and Eels respectively in all three heartbreaking defeats.
While the results haven't gone the Titans way, they should draw encouragement from the fact they've been so close, especially considering they were thrown the curveball of coach Holbrook being sacked mid-season. With Des Hasler coming on board next year, there's no reason the Gold Coast can't iron out the kinks and be a real force in 2024.
When both these sides take the field on Saturday, they'll have very little to play for other than pride. The Titans, when they're on, are one of the more exciting attacking teams to watch, while the Roosters have recently improved their defence (albeit from a low bar). It won't be a display of high-quality Rugby League, but at the very least it should be close and entertaining, and really, what more can you ask for?
Last meeting: Round 9 2022 - Roosters 44 Titans 16
Who to watch: With reports that the Gold Coast are chasing representative player Ben Hunt to be their halfback from 2024, the stakes for current Titans number 7 Tanah Boyd are among the highest of any player on the paddock. After a rocky first half of the season, Boyd has really come into his own recently, playing a critical role in the aforementioned victory over Brisbane while also starring in the recent losses, kicking a game tying field goal against the Dolphins and scoring a go-ahead try against the Eels. He'll never be a flashy player that wins you a game on his own, but there are plenty of teams out there that could use someone in his mould who knows how to take a team around the park and make the best possible decision on a consistent basis. He's also probably the best goal kicker in the NRL.
For the Roosters, one of their few bright spots in last weeks flogging at the hands of Melbourne was the performance of young bench forward Siua Wong. For months now, Wong has been tearing it up in NSW cup, virtually begging to get a chance in the struggling first grade side. He gave a good account of himself in limited minutes against Manly a few weeks ago, averaging over 10 metres per hit up but also missing three tackles. Last week against the Storm he was again given small minutes that came when the game was already over, but did basically all he could to get a crack at a longer stint this week, again averaging over 10 metres per hit up to go with a line break, tackle break and 12 tackles with no misses. He also ran a good line to score a late consolation try. With the season essentially over for Easts, coach Robinson doesn't have much to lose by giving the likes of Wong more minutes and seeing what he can do with them.
Favourite: The Roosters are 3-point favourites over the Titans at the time of writing.
My tip: The Titans are a great attacking team that have gone close against some decent opposition over their last three games, and they're at home against a side that last scored more than 20-points against a top-14 team in round 5. I've been waiting and waiting for the Roosters to come good and it hasn't come close to happening. Quite frankly, I'm getting impatient. Titans by 14.
