Round 26: Storm v Roosters preview
Rounding out Friday night is an intriguing contest between Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters down in Melbourne.
Melbourne Storm locked in a top two finish after their 20-14 result against fellow top four side Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Due to that, coach Craig Bellamy has opted to rest some of his important stars including Eliesa Katoa and aerial threat Xavier Coates.
It caps off another huge season for the Storm and they remain in prime position at another tilt at an NRL Premiership.
There is a literal big inclusion on the bench for them. Nelson Asofa-Solomona returns to the side and look to impress before finals football.
Despite all their changes, Melbourne does posses a spectacular record against the Roosters which hopefully can help them towards another win.
The Roosters must bounce back after their loss to the Eels which could've given them a stranglehold on eight spot.
It was a game full of errors for the tri-colours and coach Trent Robinson will have them catching balls all week.
Their side remains it's star-studded self and still is the favourite to finish in that final spot in the top eight headed into the final fortnight.
If they can't get the result here, it does set up a big clash against the Rabbitohs next week to lock that in which is not a situation they want.
The Roosters do have a new halves pairing in Hugo Savala and Sandon Smith which needs to click quickly for them.
This is an interesting game set up because while the Storm are much changed they can play spoiler against a side which needs the two points.
Last meeting: Round 21 2025 - Roosters 30 Storm 34
Who to watch: Cameron Munster moves back to into the halves due to the mass restings and that offers them some consolidation in this game. Munster has had a strong season in 2025 and has added try-assists to his arsenal which makes him even more dangerous.
Up front, Bronson Garlick gets his chance to audition for a bench spot headed into the crucial finals challenge with Harry Grant suspended. Garlick has been an able understudy to Grant and he gets a chance to show his wares on Friday.
For Hugo Savala, he returns to the line-up due to the injury to Sam Walker and can stamp his mark on possibly being in the pairing come finals time. Savala has already shown his accurate kicking game and ability to trail the play when breaks are made.
Front row Spence aka Spencer Leniu gets another chance to start at prop for the tri-colours and hopefully give them some punch to kick-off the game. He can ignite a contest which was shown against the Dolphins and that lifted the Roosters to a big win.
Favourite: All the changes make this a tough game but Storm just retain the edge due to Cam Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen playing.
My tip: I'll back the Storm here to get the job done and keep the pressure on Canberra for the minor premiership. Storm by 6.
