The Roosters came, saw, and conquered in last week's grand final re-match with Melbourne, sending a firm reminder to everyone that the road to the premiership runs through Bondi.
A head injury to Luke Keary was a concern for coach Trent Robinson but the premiers showed once again their knack for covering important positions when key men go down.
They boast some of the most lethal players in the game - Tedesco, Mitchell - and are playing much better than they were this time last year but can't drop their guard in Thursday's annual Anzac Day showdown.
The Dragons beat the Roosters 24-8 in last year's Anzac Day game and have won four in a row after dropping their first two games in 2019. They won't mind being the underdogs on Thursday.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 7 -
home Team
Roosters
1st Position
away Team
Dragons
8th Position
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
The Rundown
Team news
Roosters: A late change, with Latrell Mitchell moving back to his preferred centre position and Lachlan Lam promoted from the bench to the starting side. Jake Friend got through his side's final training session and will play, while Siosiua Taukeiaho (back) is also good to go. Victor Radley was switched to lock to allow Friend to return in his customary hooker role. Lindsay Collins and Sam Verrills were cut an hour prior to kick-off, while Faamausili and Brock Lamb were omitted on Wednesday.
Dragons: After initially naming the same 17-man team that beat Manly 12-10, coach Paul McGregor has made a surprise game-day change, moving Mikaele Ravalawa and Blake Lawrie to the bench. Zac Lomax will start on the wing, while Jacob Host is the new starting lock. Jai Field and Mitch Allgood were cut an hour before kick-off and Lachlan Timm and Jonus Pearsion were omitted on Wednesday. The Dragons hold bragging rights after a 24-8 triumph over the Roosters in last year's Anzac Day clash.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 7 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Dragons
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James TedescoFullback for Dragons is number 1 Matthew Dufty
-
Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel TupouWinger for Dragons is number 2 Jordan Pereira
-
Centre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph ManuCentre for Dragons is number 3 Euan Aitken
-
Centre for Roosters is number 6 Latrell MitchellCentre for Dragons is number 4 Tim Lafai
-
Winger for Roosters is number 5 Matt IkuvaluWinger for Dragons is number 15 Zac Lomax
-
Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 17 Lachlan LamFive-Eighth for Dragons is number 6 Corey Norman
-
Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Cooper CronkHalfback for Dragons is number 7 Ben Hunt
Forwards
-
Prop for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-HargreavesProp for Dragons is number 8 James Graham
-
Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Jake FriendHooker for Dragons is number 9 Cameron McInnes
-
Prop for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua TaukeiahoProp for Dragons is number 10 Paul Vaughan
-
2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Boyd Cordner2nd Row for Dragons is number 11 Tyson Frizell
-
2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Angus Crichton2nd Row for Dragons is number 12 Tariq Sims
-
Lock for Roosters is number 13 Victor RadleyLock for Dragons is number 16 Jacob Host
Interchange
-
Interchange for Roosters is number 3 Mitchell AubussonInterchange for Dragons is number 5 Mikaele Ravalawa
-
Interchange for Roosters is number 14 Nat ButcherInterchange for Dragons is number 13 Blake Lawrie
-
Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Zane TetevanoInterchange for Dragons is number 14 Jeremy Latimore
-
Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Sitili TupouniuaInterchange for Dragons is number 17 Luciano Leilua
Match Officials
- Referee: Ben Cummins
- Referee: Grant Atkins
- Touch Judge: Tim Roby
- Touch Judge: Todd Smith
- Senior Review Official: Steve Chiddy
Last updated:
Key match-up
Plenty hinges on the clash between halves Cooper Cronk and Ben Hunt, but Tim Lafai has a truly tough job on his hands trying to subdue Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell, who has shrugged off a relatively slow start to the season to be back in peak form. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves' battle with old hard-head James Graham should also be a beauty.
For the Roosters to win
Trent Robinson was pumping his fists when Mitchell nailed the match-winning field goal in extra time against the Storm but it would've been an entirely different picture if his team had lost after leading 20-0. The Roosters have to rid themselves of their tendency to fall asleep in the second half after charging out to comfortable leads.
For the Dragons to win
They need to keep the Roosters in their own half as much as possible via a pinpoint kicking game and must play with discipline. Shutting down second-phase play is crucial, especially when Keary and Tedesco are lurking. The outside backs will have to be defensively alert for 80 minutes.
Brett Kimmorley says
Due to the aura of Anzac Day, it is a great honour for the players to be involved in this match. Latrell Mitchell was amazing last week and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was also back to his best. Hopefully Luke Keary will be fine to play. For the Dragons, they’ve been fighting their way to wins. The forward battle will be amazing. Whatever pack wins, their haves will have time to play footy. Roosters by 2
Stat Attack
Latrell Mitchell is the NRL's top point-scorer (57) after six rounds and has kicked the most goals (24), while Luke Keary is tops in try assists (9) and support play (120). On the flip-side, Mitchell has given away a league-high 12 penalties.
And another thing ...
The Dragons were going so well 12 months ago that the Anzac Day game was billed as a possible grand final preview. It was half right. The Roosters clicked into turbo over the second half of the season and went on to claim the title. The Dragons hit the wall heading into the post-season before shocking the Broncos in Brisbane in week one of the finals and almost upstaging the Rabbitohs before a late-game meltdown.
