Round 21 of the 2022 NRL season kicks off Thursday night at the SCG in a vital clash between the Sydney Roosters (8th – 10-9) and the Brisbane Broncos (5th – 12-7). The Broncos have all but secured their finals sport while the Roosters are fighting for their lives inside the top eight. Strap yourself in for a classic!
Greg Davis is back with his free preview and NRL tips for the clash here!
Sydney Roosters vs Brisbane Broncos Betting Tips
Sydney Cricket Ground, Thursday 4th August, 7:50pm (AEST)
Squads
Sydney Roosters
1.James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Joseph Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Ben Thomas 16. Drew Hutchison 17. Terrell May 18. Adam Keighran 19. Fletcher Baker 20. Kevin Naiqama 21. Renouf Atoni 22. Siua Wong
Brisbane Broncos
1. Tesi Niu 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Deine Mariner 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Jake Turpin 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Corey Jensen 17. Keenan Palasia 18. Te Maire Martin 19. Zac Hosking 20. Xavier Willison 21. Delouise Hoeter 22. Cory Paix
Match Preview
Rugby league, it’s a funny old game.
At the start of this season, what would have been the odds that, entering August, the Broncos would have all but secured a finals berth while the Roosters would be fighting for their top eight lives?
You would have got any odds you wanted while being laughed at, heartily.
But here we are, entering August, with the Chooks desperate to extend their winning streak to four games with Canberra, Manly and St George Illawarra breathing down their necks in the four-way battle for the last spot up for grabs in the top eight.
Meanwhile, after a stunning turnaround at Red Hill in 2022, finals-bound Brisbane will find out what life is like without Maroons star Pat Carrigan for the next four weeks after the Broncos forward was suspended for four weeks for his hip drop tackle on Jackson Hastings last Saturday night.
The Roosters have beaten the Dragons, Knights and a severely depleted Sea Eagles in their winning streak and the clash with the Broncos represents a step up in class for the Tri-colours. Last Thursday night’s match-up with Manly was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Chooks who were anything but convincing as they struggled to put away the under-manned Eagles. The general theme coming out of the Roosters sheds after the win was, they were happy with the two premiership points but disappointed with how they got them.
It is a matter of time before the star-studded line-up really hit their straps because they have been winning without being super impressive for the past few weeks.
The Roosters will be without Origin prop Lindsay Collins but will start Matt Lodge in the front-row in a line-up that oozes talent.
The venue won’t intimidate Brisbane who claimed a stunning 34-16 victory over the Chooks at the SCG in May last year. Since that upset, the clubs have fought out two thrillers with the Chooks claiming both. Earlier this season, the Joseph Manu-inspired Chooks pipped the Broncos at home at Suncorp Stadium with Sam Walker adding the finishing touches for the visitors.
Brisbane will not be happy about dropping the game to the lowly Wests Tigers last Saturday night. They have prided themselves on taking care of business better than that.
The Broncos welcome back Origin winger Selwyn Cobbo after his nasty head knock while tackling machine Kobe Hetherington will fill-in for Carrigan at lock. Carrigan’s workrate will be missed by Brisbane and the load will need to be shared by the entire forward pack.
It should be tough and tight. Both sides have lethal finishers out wide, clever playmakers and powerful packs. A flash of brilliance could be the difference.
The Roosters need to win to stay alive and Brisbane need to get up to keep their top four hopes afloat. It’s all to play for between two traditional powerhouses of the competition.
Strap yourself in, kids.
First try scorer: Selwyn Cobbo - $11
Either team to win by 10 or less
$1.92 (1.5 units)
