Match Preview: Wests Tigers vs. Roosters

Having overcome their biggest bogey side last Friday night at Suncorp Stadium, Wests Tigers will look to repeat the process this Sunday when they take on the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium — a side they have not beaten since 2012.

Jason Taylor’s men defied all the odds and history books in Sunday’s win over the Broncos — registering their first win against Brisbane since 2010 and just their fifth victory against the Broncos since their foundation in 2000. To do it at Suncorp on a Friday — a fixture the home side had won 13 of the last 14 occasions — was perhaps even more spectacular for the visitors and will give them plenty of confidence they can do the same this week.

Trent Robinson’s side have won 11 of the last 12 games against Wests Tigers, with the Tricolours recording a 14-point-or-more victory in every fixture between the two since 2011.

It's clear the Roosters have the wood over Wests Tigers in recent times, but with three wins in their last four games, Taylor's men will certainly fancy their chances at causing another boilover and ending the hoodoo come 4:00pm Sunday.

Wests Tigers will welcome back several key players for the game, with star fullback James Tedesco set to make his return from a shoulder injury. He’ll take his place in the No. 1 jersey for the first time since Round 9, while Aaron Woods and Robbie Farah have both been named to back-up following Wednesday night’s State of Origin series opener.

The Roosters, on the other hand, welcome back Dale Copley from injury, with Boyd Cordner, Aidan Guerra and Blake Ferguson also set to back-up from Origin commitments.

It’s shaping as an intriguing clash between two sides desperate to climb up the Premiership ladder; who will leave Allianz Stadium with the two points in hand?

Read on for a full Match Preview including all the team news, stats, analysis and more!

Be there to cheer the boys on when they take on South Sydney Rabbitohs on June 10!

Match Details

Date — Sunday, June 5, 2016

Time — 4:00pm AEST

Venue — Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Match Officials

On-Field Referees — Ashley Klein and Gavin Reynolds

Touch Judges — Nick Beashel and Rohan Best

Review Officials — Ben Galea and Jason Robinson

TV, Live Stream and Radio Information

TV — Live via Channel 9, Fox Sports 1 (subscription required)

Live Stream — Foxtel Go, NRL Digital Pass (subscription required)

Radio — AM 2GB 873, ABC 702 ABC Grandstand (check local guides)

Confirmed Squads

For the Roosters, Dale Copley’s return from a pectoral injury sees Aidan Guerra shift to the back row and Isaac Liu move to a five-man interchange bench. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will start at prop with Sam Moa dropping back to said interchange.

For Wests Tigers, James Tedesco (shoulder), Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods (both Origin duty) have all been named. With Jordan Rankin dropping back to reserve grade, Dene Halatau and Tim Grant drop back to an extended six-man interchange bench.

2016 Recent Results

Wests Tigers

R8 — Canberra Raiders 60 def. Wests Tigers 6

R9 — Wests Tigers 30 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 22

R10 — Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 36 def. Wests Tigers 4

R11 — Wests Tigers 20 def. Newcastle Knights 12

R12 — Wests Tigers 19 def. Brisbane Broncos 18

Sydney Roosters

R7 — Penrith Panthers 20 def. Sydney Roosters 16

R8 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 20 def. Sydney Roosters 18

R9 — Sydney Roosters 38 def. Newcastle Knights 0

R10 — Gold Coast Titans 26 def. Sydney Roosters 6

R11 — Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 32 def. Sydney Roosters 20

Last Time They Met — Sydney Roosters 33 def. Wests Tigers 8 (Rd.20, 2015)

It was a tight contest to begin with late in the year last season, with the Roosters holding a slender 8-4 lead at the break thanks to a try from James Tedesco. However, after the break, the Roosters would pull away — running in several unanswered tries to leave ANZ Stadium with a 25-point win, thanks to a late field goal from James Maloney.

The History

·       Against the Roosters — Played 27, Won 8, Lost 19, Drawn 0

·       At Allianz Stadium — Played 14, Won 3, Lost 11, Drawn 0

Player to Watch — Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sydney Roosters

While the Roosters certainly have plenty of threats to watch on Sunday, it all starts and ends with the big men in the middle, and their leader, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

The New Zealand international missed a number of games at the start of the year with injury before managing his return over the past month from the interchange bench. He’s back in the starting side this week with the Roosters fresh off the bye, and how the likes of Aaron Woods, Ava Seumanufagai and Elijah Taylor shape up against Hargreaves, Dylan Napa and co. in the opening 10-15 minutes will set the tone for the rest of the match.

The visitors were good last week against a big Broncos forward pack; if they can do the same again on Sunday against the Roosters, it’ll set the tone for the likes of Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks and James Tedesco to work their magic out wide for Wests Tigers.

What They Said

“Anyone who watches Wests Tigers knows how exciting they can be. They’ve got sharp halves and will take some stopping. We’ve got to ask them some questions too… and hopefully we can them under wraps.” — Craig Fitzgibbon, Roosters Assistant Coach

“We take a little bit of confidence from last week’s win, but the Roosters are a whole different team and we need to make sure we’ve prepared right for them. We just need to muscle up in the middle, and get into Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and their big forwards. If we can do our job, the backs will do their thing.” — Sauaso Sue, Wests Tigers forward

“The Roosters have got a big pack, so it starts in the forwards this week. It’s up to us as a Wests Tigers pack to win the ruck battle and slow down their ruck speed. If we can do that, we’re a real chance. If not, it could be a long afternoon.” — Elijah Taylor, Wests Tigers forward