Super Saturday in Round 19 starts at Brookvale Oval with a bottom 8 clash between the Sea Eagles and Titans as both sides look to build form for next season. The Storm return to Sunshine Coast Stadium for their first clash against the Tigers in over a year. Then, Saturday night footy is back at the SCG with the Roosters taking on the Sharks in a top 8 battle.
2020 NRL Round 19 Saturday Preview
Sea Eagles vs Titans
Sat, Sep 19 3:00pm
While Manly’s top 8 hopes are over, they’d be happy to end a 6 game losing streak on Friday against the Bulldogs. After being kept scoreless for the first 30 minutes, Manly’s attack came alive in the next 30 with 5 tries as they beat the Dogs 32-20. It looks like they’ve found a good young centre in Morgan Harper and they could get Tom Trbojevic back for Saturday’s clash. However, Addin Fonua-Blake is under an injury cloud and Cust is out with injury. So Croker will play 5/8th in Cust’s place.
The Titans are showing signs of a team that could be a top 8 chance in 2021. They’ve now won their last 3 games and Justin Holbrook is starting to find his best 17. However, they were pretty sloppy against the Broncos last week with 13 errors but to be fair, Brisbane were equally as bad in the 18-6 Titans victory. So the Titans will be looking to improve their ball-handling against Manly. In team news, they do get Kevin Proctor back from suspension this week.
Gold Coast should be confident travelling to Brookvale Oval after upsetting Manly in the last 2 meetings at the same venue. So don’t mind the Titans at the underdog line here.
Storm vs Wests Tigers
Sat, Sep 19 5:30pm
The Storm are back at their second home on the Sunshine Coast this Saturday as they look to seal up a top 2 finish. Melbourne are coming off a fairly comfortable victory over the struggling Cowboys 36-20. Addo-Carr continued his try-scoring form and Cam Munster gave the Cowboys plenty of defensive issues as he crossed for an easy double. But Craig Bellamy wouldn’t be overly pleased with their second-half performance after allowing 16 points. In team news, Welch is back from suspension and Asofa-Solomona will start at lock (may change). Brandon Smith could also be a late change as he comes back from a jaw injury.
Wests fell behind 20-0 against the Rabbitohs last Thursday but almost produced a stunning upset in the 26-24 defeat. Ultimately, the lose ends their season so they’ll be playing for pride in the next 2 weeks. Hopefully, they can improve their first-half performances otherwise the Storm could make them pay. To make matters worse, Luke Brooks is out with suspension and Josh Reynolds will get his shot in the halves. But they do get Joey Leilua back in the centres for Talau.
The Tigers have troubled the Storm in the last 3 meetings with a 2-1 record and a 2 point loss. Although, we can’t see the Tigers being too motivated defensively so the Storm should be able to put plenty of points. On the flip-side, the Tigers attack can have success after the Storm allowed 20 points last week.
Roosters vs Sharks
Sat, Sep 19 7:35pm
The 3rd placed Roosters are back at the SCG on Saturday night looking to continue their winning momentum. They’ve now won their last 4 games and seem to be peaking nicely before the finals. Last week at this venue, they punished the undermanned Knights with a 42-12 result. So with a top 4 spot locked up, they’ll look to get some rest into James Tedesco and Siosiua Taukeiaho. As a result, Manu will play fullback and Aubusson comes into the centres and will break the record for most games played for the Roosters. Well done!
Cronulla sealed up the last spot in the finals with a crucial 22-14 win over the Warriors. With the Warriors up by 2 points with 18 minutes remaining, the Sharks finished off with 2 late tries to Rudolf and Mulitalo to setup the win. But the Roosters will pose a much tougher challenge and the Sharks will need to be ready in defence. They’ve struggled against the top teams this season so this a big test on Saturday night. In team news, there’s nothing to report at this stage with the Sharks naming the same 17.
The Sharks have conceded 38 points to fellow top 8 sides in 2 of their last 4 games. While there’s no Tedesco, the Roosters still boast a formidable attack that can expose the Sharks defensive woes. So we’re backing the Roosters to continue their hot-form with another 30+ point outing.
Roosters Over 30.5 Points
$1.93
