Sydney Roosters Auckland Nines Preview

Pool: Hunua Pool (Roosters, Raiders, Rabbitohs, Cowboys)

Squad: Connor Watson, Daniel Tupou, Dale Copley, Latrell Mitchell, Joseph Manu, Paul Momirovski, Mitchell Cornish, Isaac Liu, Paul Carter, Kane Evans, Ryan Matterson, Mitchell Aubusson (c), Aidan Guerra, Chris Smith, Zane Tetevano, Brendan Frei, Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck, Bernard Lewis

Games

vs North Queensland Cowboys (12:40pm Feb 4 AEDT)
vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (5pm Feb 4 AEDT)
vs Canberra Raiders (11:30am Feb 5 AEDT)

Last year was a rough one for the Sydney Roosters. On the back of a three year stretch that delivered a Premiership as well as a trio of Minor Premierships, so the party had to end sooner or later for the tricolours. While 2016 had a lot of lows for the Roosters, one high was the influx of quality debutants, with a few featuring in this squad.

Latrell Mitchell headlines the troupe of last season’s debutants, while young halves Connor Watson and Ryan Matterson bring spark to the team. Mitchell was one of the best youngsters at last year’s Auckland Nines, scoring multiple tries as he announced himself to the rugby league community, with a few uncapped players set to try and emulate him.

Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck may share a surname with fleet-footed brother Roger, but in terms of how they play, they’re nothing alike. While Roger runs around defenders, Johnny runs through them. Just four months after he scored the match-winning try in the Holden Cup Grand Final, Johnny will be hopping to have ‘JTS’ on everyone’s mind leading into the NRL season.

Who To Watch: Joseph Manu. A Junior Kiwi representative, Manu is chock-a-block full of potential, as well as speed. A LOT of speed. In fact, Manu managed one of the best try-savers of the year, managing to run down Parramatta speedster Bevan French just metres short of the try-line. Equally adept at centre, wing and fullback, Manu could run amok this weekend, with his monster fend sure to leave defenders rattled on his way across the white stripe.

Why They Could Win: X-Factor. The Roosters have it, and in the bucket loads at that. In Latrell Mitchell, Joseph Manu and Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck, they have speedy backs with hulking figures. Connor Watson and Ryan Matterson can run the ball just as well as they can set up plays. There’s an air of unpredictability around the side, while forwards Aiden Guerra and Mitch Aubusson steady the ship, though recruit Paul Carter is as energetic as forwards come, and could have a big say in this tournament. They can score from anywhere, at any time, and that makes them a big threat.

Why They Can’t Win: Steady hands. The Roosters just don’t have them. They have forwards that can run the tough lines, but do they have the ability to put them through the gap? Halves Mitch Cornish, Matterson and Watson all have explosive natures in their game, but not a lot of organising. The Roosters may be able to score from nothing, but they’ll struggle to score on a legitimate opportunity.

Prediction: Latrell Mitchell is going to have a big tournament, sure to feature on this year’s highlights reel along with his teammates. But there’ll be a few tries on that reel scored against them unfortunately. The tricolours will push their opposition to the limit, but the Cowboys and Rabbits have squads simply too strong.