Round 4 Team v Melbourne

[Guest]

You left out Sonny-Bill!

I know I did. I'm not going resile from my not wanting him at the club.

Brett Stewart should be here and hopefully will be here.

I'm sure we have a spare 100 grand lying around if anything goes wrong again.

[John Corey]

Doubt very much Smith would want Moga to make his debut against Storm in Melbourne. Bit hard on the kid. Next game at SFS would be better IMO.

Dam that's a strong looking Jets side. If I wasn't on the G.C. I would get to Henson to see them play the Dogs. Will be a good game.

[Geohood]

From the Roosters website today:

“He would’ve started the season in first grade if he was fit,” Taylor said, giving an indication to how highly the 18 year old Moga is regarded at the Roosters.

“If he was to play a game or two with us this season, I’d imagine that would only be due to Brian Smith wanting to get a bit of fitness under his belt now that he hasn’t started the season with the team.

So I think it's a safe bet to say that he's flying over to Melbourne with the team either to play NYC or NRL on Sunday...

[Guest]

Wow Carney on the wing again? Duffies gonna have a field day.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

You dont say much,

when you do it's normally a good read

Lets keep it that way.

[Guest]

Just having a look in this weeks Big League & the Roosters have a pretty good record against the Storm. I still dont think we will win but I dont think their will be much in it.

[Guest]

Doubt very much Smith would want Moga to make his debut against Storm in Melbourne. Bit hard on the kid. Next game at SFS would be better IMO.

Dam that's a strong looking Jets side. If I wasn't on the G.C. I would get to Henson to see them play the Dogs. Will be a good game.

I dont get that philosophy. If that is true Smith really has no idea.

IMO if you are good enough you start FG. Is Smith going to wait till they play who? the Titans before he plays.

[Guest]

Taka said on twitter he is off to Melbourne.

[redwhiteblue]

Freddy just said on NRL Daily that Moga's mother has booked a flight to Melbourne...he said maybe they are just visiting relatives!

[Geohood]

http://www.nrl.com/roosters-plan-to-...4/default.aspx

Roosters plan to outmuscle Storm: Pearce

Joe Barton AAP Thu, Mar 22, 2012 - 6:26 PM

The Sydney Roosters are planning on ending Melbourne's unbeaten start to the NRL season by adopting the same tactics that helped them thrash the Storm in round 26 last season.

Melbourne captain Cameron Smith said he expected the Roosters, who have two wins from three games, to come down to Melbourne for Sunday's game with an aggressive attitude, intent on trying to "bash us out of the game".

And his fears were confirmed by a confident Mitchell Pearce, who said the Roosters wouldn't deviate from the game plan which was so effective last year.

In that game, the Roosters took on a Melbourne side who had rested Smith and fullback Billy Slater, but simply muscled them out of the game on their way to a 40-8 thrashing of the minor premiers.

"I think that night even if (Smith and Slater) were playing, I think we would've won," Pearce said on Thursday.

"We physically dominated them in the forwards. That's something we'll be looking to do again."

And Pearce said the Roosters would be using their young, tough forward pack to their advantage as a means of keeping the Storm's star trio of Smith, Slater and Cooper Cronk quiet.

"Last week (against the Raiders) and especially through the trials our forwards have been really dominant and stood over the other teams," he said.

"I think again last week against a forward pack that had a few rep players, in Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Dave Shillington, I think our forwards really took it to them.

"That's something I think we can do again this week.

"The more we dominate that part of the game gives Slater and Cameron Smith less chance to get into the game.

"... I think we've got a great forward pack. We've got one of the youngest forward packs in the comp but I reckon one of the toughest forward packs.

"We want to win that battle."

Pearce admitted his side were lucky to escape with a 14-8 victory over the Raiders last round despite making a staggering 23 errors - and conceded they wouldn't get the same sort of leniency against the methodical Melbourne.

"It will be pretty tough to win against the Storm if we make those sort of errors," he said.

"We got out of jail a bit on the weekend through our defence.

"... I think we completed 50 per cent of the ball. That's probably not acceptable for a first grade game.

"We were still good enough to hang in there and get the win."

And Roosters fans will have to wait at least another week to see gifted centre Tautau Moga make his NRL debut, with the 18-year-old considered no chance of a late call-up for the Storm clash.

[Guest]

No chance of a late call up?

I think he is more of a chance of playing FG than U20's especially with the news his mum is flying down to Melbourne.
Smithy may think that no one would be expecting that so he plays Moga. I think he might play.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Gotta love confidence...Pearcey seems to think the boys are ready for a good show.

Good point about our guys dominating the big Canberra pack...yes, amidst the errors!

[roosterproud]

we were dominant over canberra and canberra took the cheats all the way in their games. went down by 5 pts

[Guest]

I watched Melbourne play the other day & they really have very little aside from Smith & Slater, the rest are very run of the mill, even Cronk is only a very solid No.7, he's not a game breaker, they are a good team don't get me wrong, but without Smith & Slater IMHO they would be in the bottom 8, rather than consistently top 4. It's been said before, but if we can just contain those two, then we will be in this game right up until the final whistle, strap yourselves in folks!

[melon....]

I watched Melbourne play the other day & they really have very little aside from Smith & Slater, the rest are very run of the mill, even Cronk is only a very solid No.7, he's not a game breaker, they are a good team don't get me wrong, but without Smith & Slater IMHO they would be in the bottom 8, rather than consistently top 4. It's been said before, but if we can just contain those two, then we will be in this game right up until the final whistle, strap yourselves in folks!

Containing them is one thing....holding the ball is another.