Darry Worthington takes a look at the headline Round 8 NRL fixture, which will see the Melbourne Storm take on the Sydney Roosters on Thursday the 2nd of July.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Rugby League fans are in for a treat this Thursday with the Melbourne Storm going up against the Sydney Roosters in the headline clash of the week. The hosts currently occupy fourth spot on the standings while the Roosters are a position ahead in third but only due to points differential.
Melbourne Storm v Sydney Roosters
Thursday 2 July
Suncorp Stadium
To Win (80 Mins)
Storm
Draw
Roosters
Storm
The Storm certainly had a week two remember as they hammered the New Zealand Warriors 50-6 courtesy of a second-half blitz.
That victory over the Warriors was their fifth of the season with their previous victories coming against the Knights (12-26), the Rabbitohs (22-8), the Sharks (10-12) and the Sea Eagles (4-18). While their defeats came against the Panthers (21-14) and the Raiders (6-22).
Roosters
The Roosters also enjoyed a positive Round 7 as they racked up their fifth win of the campaign by beating the Dragons 26-12. Their victories prior to this had come against the Eels (24-10), the Bulldogs (6-42), the Broncos (0-59) and the Rabbitohs 22-12.
These two sides are rather evenly matched with the Roosters winning two of the last five, the Storm winning two and one game ending in a draw. Last year’s three games between the sides saw the first game end in a 20-20 draw, the Storm win the second game 12-14 and the Roosters win the Grand Final 14-6.
Verdict: Roosters
This will be an epic battle that should end in a tight scoreline. My money is on the Roosters just edging it.
Round 8 Tips
Raiders Win
Eels By More Than 8
Titans Win
Panthers Win
Knights Win
Rabbitohs Win
