While the Rabbitohs lay in waiting this week, four teams will fight it out in week two of the NRL Tesltra Premiership Finals Series, for the right to progress to face the red and green’s and the Penrith Panthers.
The Sydney Roosters and the North Queensland Cowboys will put their seasons on the line this Friday night when they face off in an epic showdown for the right to face the Rabbitohs on the 26th of September at ANZ Stadium.
After going down to the Penrith Panthers in a week one thriller, the minor premiership winning Roosters will be bolstered by the return of hooker Jake Friend, with Mitch Aubusson set to return to the bench after deputising in Friend’s absence against both the Rabbitohs and the Panthers in recent weeks. Lock-forward Aiden Guerra will also return this week after serving a one-match suspension for dangerous contact on Kyle Turner in round 26.
The Cowboys earned their place in week two after knocking out the Brisbane Broncos last weekend and will pose a real threat to the Tricolours. The Cowboys will be without Tariq Sims after the forward was rubbed out for five matches by the match-review committee. Glenn Hall moves into the North Queensland starting side.
Meanwhile, the Panthers await the victor of a cross-city battle between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the second Semi-Final to be played this Saturday at Allianz Stadium. The victor will earn the right to face the Panthers on Saturday 27th September at ANZ Stadium in the Preliminary Finals.
The Sea Eagles will be without the services of star forward Anthony Watmough, after the back-rower was charged for a dangerous throw on Greg Inglis in week one of the finals – Tom Symonds is set to cover for Watmough. The north-siders have named hooker Jayden Hodges despite the young-gun suffering a neck injury that saw him taken to hospital at half-time of last week’s clash against the Rabbitohs.
The Bulldogs camp has named an extended 20-man squad for the clash including the likes of Reni Maitua, Moses Mbye, and Harlan Alaalatoa on the bench.
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Finals Chart
Week Two Teams
Semi-Final 1
Roosters v Cowboys
Allianz Stadium
Friday, 7.50pm
Roosters
1 Anthony Minichiello (c)
2 Daniel Tupou
3 Michael Jennings
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
6 James Maloney
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9 Jake Friend
10 Sam Moa
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Sonny Bill Williams
13 Aidan Guerra
Interchange
14 Mitchell Aubusson
15 Frank-Paul Nuuausala
16 Isaac Liu
17 Rémi Casty
18 Kane Evans
Coach: Trent Robinson
Cowboys
1 Michael Morgan
2 Kyle Feldt
3 Tautau Moga
4 Kane Linnett
5 Antonio Winterstein
6 Robert Lui
7 Johnathan Thurston (c)
8 Matt Scott (c)
9 Rory Kostjasyn
10 Ashton Sims
11 Gavin Cooper
12 Glenn Hall
13 Jason Taumalolo
Interchange
14 Ray Thompson
15 Scott Bolton
16 Ethan Lowe
17 James Tamou
Coach: Paul Green
Semi-Final 2
Sea Eagles v Bulldogs
Allianz Stadium
Saturday, 7.45pm
Sea Eagles
1 Brett Stewart
2 Jorge Taufua
3 Jamie Lyon (c)
4 Steve Matai
5 Peta Hiku
6 Kieran Foran
7 Daly Cherry-Evans
8 Jason King
9 Jayden Hodges
10 Brenton Lawrence
11 Tom Symonds
12 Justin Horo
13 Dunamis Lui
Interchange
14 Jesse Sene-Lefao
15 Cheyse Blair
16 James Hasson
17 Josh Starling
Coach: Geoff Toovey
Bulldogs
1 Sam Perrett
2 Corey Thompson
3 Josh Morris
4 Tim Lafai
5 Mitch Brown
6 Josh Reynolds
7 Trent Hodkinson
8 Aiden Tolman
9 Michael Ennis (c)
10 James Graham
11 Josh Jackson
12 Tony Williams
13 Greg Eastwood
Interchange
14 Reni Maitua
15 Dale Finucane
16 David Klemmer
17 Frank Pritchard
19 Moses Mbye
20 Harlan Alaalatoa
Coach: Des Hasler
