As with most games that aren't massive blowouts, I expect the result to come down to converting opportunities. I have no doubt we'll be up for it, and we'll get chances to score, but we need to take at least 3 or 4 of those chances to win the game - and particularly in the first half. It's something we weren't doing very well in the opening 6 rounds. This is a game were playing quite well won't be good enough. It needs to be clinical.
Early on I'd love to see us throw something a bit different at the Roosters that they're not expecting. I'm not talking a chip and chase or anything crazy, but our very structured attack hasn't been anywhere near as good as when we attack off the cuff. In the first 20 minutes it always seems like we're going through the motions inside the 20, we're not deep enough and we're predictable.
Even something as simple as setting up the big sweep play at the very first chance we get and then using Ponga as a decoy, which we almost never do. They will be sweating on that Ponga step back inside after last week, and we'd be smart in the early stages do the complete opposite. Set up for the shift left then attack the short side right, or better yet set up for the shift left and use Ponga's presence to create some space for Hunt and Lee. Gaps won't open up the way they did against the Dragons.
Oh and we need to stop giving away mountains of penalties, especially the ones late in the set.
