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Thommo's Corner: Grand Final Repeat Tipped
23 September 2003
Having the week off in the finals looks like being a benefit for the Roosters and probably a hindrance for Penrith this weekend.
I'm tipping the Roosters to beat the Bulldogs on Saturday night and the Warriors to knock over Penrith on Sunday to set up a repeat of last year's grand final.
I think Penrith will perhaps lose a bit of momentum after having last weekend off, but the Roosters who have been there and done it before, will have adjusted and won't miss a beat this weekend.
Roosters vs Bulldogs - I can't see this being anything but a Roosters win. The Bulldogs didn't have any points scored against them last week by Melbourne but they still looked a bit scratchy. I think the Bulldogs haven't recovered from when they came crashing down to earth in their big loss to the Warriors. There used to be a theory that you could stop the Roosters if you targeted
Fittler but that's not the case any more because their pack is second to none, especially their back row.
Bulldog blueprint: the Bulldogs had their chance to match it with one of the best forward packs in the Warriors but the Auckland boys got on top of them. They won't want to let this happen again this weekend or the Roosters will run riot.
Rooster strategy: they've got to look at shutting down the Bulldogs halves. Brent Sherwin is finding form and Braith Anasta, in his third game back after an injury spell, should be getting back to his best.
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If the Panthers had have kept playing last week and continued playing well, they would be in a better position.
But now after a week off, they face the Warriors, who have come through one of the best games of footy I've seen in a few years in their 17-16 win over Canberra. The Warriors hung in there and showed they can mix it with anyone when it comes to the dirty work.
Penrith's plan: they can't afford to give away early points. If they're down by 20 after 30 minutes, it's game over. I know we beat them at WIN Stadium because we got off to a good start.
Warrior warpath: their confidence is sky-high so they've just got to keep doing what they've been doing and it should get them home.
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I'd just like to offer a quick "good luck'' to the Premier League Dragons for their preliminary final against Canberra at Telstra Stadium on Sunday (1.20pm kick-off).
Led by the brilliance of half-back Dean Byrne, they got out of trouble last weekend and they will need to muscle up again to get over the top of the very big, very physical Raiders.
23 September 2003
Having the week off in the finals looks like being a benefit for the Roosters and probably a hindrance for Penrith this weekend.
I'm tipping the Roosters to beat the Bulldogs on Saturday night and the Warriors to knock over Penrith on Sunday to set up a repeat of last year's grand final.
I think Penrith will perhaps lose a bit of momentum after having last weekend off, but the Roosters who have been there and done it before, will have adjusted and won't miss a beat this weekend.
Roosters vs Bulldogs - I can't see this being anything but a Roosters win. The Bulldogs didn't have any points scored against them last week by Melbourne but they still looked a bit scratchy. I think the Bulldogs haven't recovered from when they came crashing down to earth in their big loss to the Warriors. There used to be a theory that you could stop the Roosters if you targeted
Fittler but that's not the case any more because their pack is second to none, especially their back row.
Bulldog blueprint: the Bulldogs had their chance to match it with one of the best forward packs in the Warriors but the Auckland boys got on top of them. They won't want to let this happen again this weekend or the Roosters will run riot.
Rooster strategy: they've got to look at shutting down the Bulldogs halves. Brent Sherwin is finding form and Braith Anasta, in his third game back after an injury spell, should be getting back to his best.
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If the Panthers had have kept playing last week and continued playing well, they would be in a better position.
But now after a week off, they face the Warriors, who have come through one of the best games of footy I've seen in a few years in their 17-16 win over Canberra. The Warriors hung in there and showed they can mix it with anyone when it comes to the dirty work.
Penrith's plan: they can't afford to give away early points. If they're down by 20 after 30 minutes, it's game over. I know we beat them at WIN Stadium because we got off to a good start.
Warrior warpath: their confidence is sky-high so they've just got to keep doing what they've been doing and it should get them home.
-------------
I'd just like to offer a quick "good luck'' to the Premier League Dragons for their preliminary final against Canberra at Telstra Stadium on Sunday (1.20pm kick-off).
Led by the brilliance of half-back Dean Byrne, they got out of trouble last weekend and they will need to muscle up again to get over the top of the very big, very physical Raiders.
