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The two biggest rivals in the NRL are on a collision course that could see one end the other’s season before finals.
The Roosters and Rabbitohs are two of the competition’s form teams and they meet in the final round at the opening of the new Sydney Football Stadium.
If they lose their clashes against top-four sides this weekend, and other results go as expected, then knockout footy will likely arrive a week early for the powerhouse clubs.
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That’ll be the case if the Raiders and Broncos win the games they’re expected to in the final two rounds.
It’s a scenario hard to envision considering the Roosters and Rabbitohs have taken the NRL by storm over the past six weeks.
Since Round 17, they’ve won 11/13 matches between them and the defeats, both by Souths, were one-score losses against top-four sides.
“It’s pretty extraordinary the way it’s panned out, at this point one is a chance of missing out if results don’t go their way,” Braith Anasta told foxsports.com.au.
“But if you look at it, the team most in-form and on the rise is the Roosters. Souths were pretty ordinary against an understrength Penrith team last week.
“There’s a bit of pressure on both of them because they haven’t been great all year. They’ve found form at the right time but if they’re not careful they could miss out – one of them.”
The sixth-placed Roosters head into an away game against the high-flying Storm as underdogs on Friday night.
But premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan told foxsports.com.au he expects the Tricolours to extend their six-game winning streak.
“I think the Roosters will win that game,” Flanagan said.
“But if they don’t… that last game, who knows. It makes for an exciting end to the season.
“The opening of the new stadium, Roosters Souths and they could play each other again in first game of the semis. It’s a strange end to the season.”
Souths can secure their finals spot when they host the second-placed Cowboys in a blockbuster clash on Saturday night.
“South Sydney’s an interesting one. They have got the capability to win the competition but they trust their talent too much if that makes sense,” Matty Johns said.
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“They look to me to be a team that, watching them last week, they were creating so many opportunities but they were just frivolous with the football and you could see their mindset was we’ll find a way to win this.”
NRL premiership winner Anasta played 147 games for the Roosters and believes they’ll knock off the Rabbitohs on Friday week.
“I’ve got to go Roosters just on form, not because I played there, they’re peaking at the right time and Souths really worried me the other night (against Penrith),” Anasta said.
“But when Souths control the footy and complete well they can beat anyone, they can go on a run and win the comp if they do that but they just haven’t been able to do that for long periods.”
Canberra kept their season alive with a fifth win in six games on Sunday, and they’ll likely play finals if they keep winning.
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The Raiders face struggling sides the Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers to finish the regular season, but they don’t quite control their own destiny.
The Green Machine are just one win behind the Roosters, Rabbitohs or Broncos on the ladder – but they have a poor points differential.
To play finals, Canberra likely needs to win out and have one of those three sides lose their remaining games.
“Ricky has done pretty well for a side that had lots of injuries this year, unsettled and had players missing for the most of the year,” Anasta said.
“Their spine has been all over the shop but they’re probably playing the most consistent they have right now and it wouldn’t surprise me if Ricky gets them home.
“If they play anywhere near their best they win the last two games.”
The Broncos face the Eels and Dragons and are the only side the Raiders could realistically catch on points differential.
Canberra are 26 points off the eighth-placed Broncos on differential, but 155 points behind the Rabbitohs and trail the Roosters by 212 points.
“The Broncos aren’t playing well and are limping in but they’re still going to come up against a team in the Dragons that are also limping home so they’re probably lucky there,” Anasta said.
“The Broncos have a good performance in them, it’s just the back to back I don’t think they can do it at the moment. But they can turn up and pull it out of their you know what.”
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