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Roosters v Storm preview
Sydney Roosters v Melbourne Storm
Allianz Stadium - Monday 7:00pm 
Will the Roosters revival continue? Or will the 'big three rule' the roost?
In what is a tantalizing contest on Monday night, we see two of the premierships powerhouses doing battle for jostling positions in the top 8 on Monday evening.
Both sides had the bye last week but also have a stack of origin players backing up.
The Roosters welcome back New South Wales representatives Mitchell Pearce, Daniel Tupou, Boyd Cordner, Michael Jennings and Queenslander Aiden Guerra. All players came through unscathed, however Mitchell Pearce again had to defend his own play after a quiet and unremarkable game for NSW in what was his 13th appearance for the Blues. He will be hoping for an improved performance in a rematch with Qld halfback and opposite number Cooper Cronk who will line up for the Storm.
The Bondi boys have named an unchanged team from their round 10 win against Canterbury, with "Mr Fix It" Mitch Aubusson again filling in the centres for the injured Blake Ferguson. Although rumors are rife in Bondi that Ferguson could make an early return on Monday night from a broken ankle. That would certainly be a huge in for the Roosters and give their fans hope of securing the 2 points against the table topping Melbourne outfit who they have already lost to so far in season 2015.
After an early season slump the Roosters look like the Roosters of old. Last time out they manhandled the Dogs early on and came out on top 24-10, to record their 2nd win on the trot. They will be wanting to get a good start and a nice roll on from their big forward pack which has been the key to their success over the past fortnight. Especially look for Roger Tuivasa Sheck to be looming around the ruck to rush on any loose balls, he has been in amazing touch of late and I don't expect it to change on Monday night.
Melbourne have no fresh injury concerns or any hangover from the first state of origin game. There three representatives are all fit to play. Craig Bellamy has added Christian Welch, Ben Hampton and Hymel Hunt as cover on the bench just in case. Those three players are expected to drop off the bench come game time.
In an off season where not much was said about the Storm in general or their recruits, they have certainly proved the doubters wrong. Nearing the halfway point of the season they are in first posiition on the ladder, having scored over 200 points at an average of just over 20 points a game. Their defence has been better, only leaking on average 13.8 points per game. Their defence has been the nucleus for their good performances and it's little surprise with Craig Bellamy pulling the strings from the coaches box. They will be looking forward to this clash with a fellow top 8 side as it will be a real test of their strength and character. Having taken Melbourne to the grand finals in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012 Bellamy will be hoping to do that again this year, and with their 3 best players in (Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and captain Cameron Smith in fine form, they might just do it).
Last meeting: Round 7 2015 - Melbourne Storm 17 Sydney Roosters 16
In their 28 clashes since the Storm entered the Competition in 1998, Melbourne hold a slender advantage 15 games to 13. However At Allianz Stadium in 21 games, Melbourne have only returned home victorious 8 times, which spells danger signs for the Storm. In recent times, it doesn't read much better with Melbourne only winning 1 of the past 4 at Moore Park.
Who to watch: Since the return of Jake Friend in round 6, the Roosters have looked a far better side than the team that ran around in the earlier rounds. Friend adds a sense of maturity and poise to the side and along with his long and short kicking game (which is up there with some of the best halves in the competition) he is vital to any success that the Roosters have. He is a rock in the middle of the field and his ability to control the ruck will be very important in this game where he will be coming up against the best hooker in the world in Cameron Smith. Look for Friend to try and stamp his authority on the game early with some strong defence and his quick dummy half runs to try and catch the Melbourne defence napping. I'm expecting him to have a big game if the Roosters are to get over the line.
For Melbourne, there could be a great deal of players to choose from that will have an impact in this. I'm looking at their man mountain prop Jesse Bromwich. The 26 year old has come on in leaps and bounds in the past two seasons and is firmly up there with some of the best props in the game. He has already represented New Zealand at the highest level and he will be hoping to go far in the 2015 season with the Melbourne Storm to add to his 2012 Premiership medal. Bromwich's ability to get over the advantage line and get a quick play the ball assists Cameron Smith in putting the defence on the backfoot and gives their talented backline time and space to move around the field. It all starts with the forwards. Bromwich also has a killer offload that creates second phase play. Look for the likes of Billy Slater and Marika Korobiete to be backing up the big man in the middle of the field to take advantage of the space created.
So far his stats in 2015 make for incredible reading: 167 hit ups for 1,557 Metres (at an average of 9.3 metres per run), 21 tackle breaks, 342 tackles (averaging 34.2 tackles per game), 11 offloads, 2 line breaks and 1 try. He has improved on his 2014 stats and is making waves down in Melbourne. Look for another strong effort from the prop who hasn't run for less than 150 metres since round 5.
The favourite: The Roosters are favourites with the home advantage and two game winning streak on their side.
My tip: Very hard to split these two teams folks. Both are in good form and have superstar players all over the park. I just have a feeling that the Roosters might have that little bit more to play for sitting at 5 wins and 5 losses at the moment. Think they might squeeze home in golden point. Could be one of the best games of 2015, on paper it looks vintage. Roosters by 4.
1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Michael Jennings 4. Mitchell Aubusson 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. James Maloney 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Sam Moa 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Aidan Guerra 13. Isaac Liu
Interchange: 14. Jackson Hastings 15. Siosiua Taukeiaho 16. Kane Evans 17. Dylan Napa
1. Billy Slater 2. Mahe Fonua 3. Will Chambers 4. Kurt Mann 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Tim Glasby 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14. Ryan Hinchcliffe 15. Kenneath Bromwich 16. Dayne Weston 17. Felise Kaufusi 18. Christian Welch 19. Ben Hampton 20. Hymel Hunt
Referees: Jared Maxwell, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Jeff Younis, Chris Sutton; Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Henry Perenara;