ALTONA Roosters are claiming a psychological advantage over Sunbury United Tigers ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster in Victorian Rugby League first grade at Langama Park.
The Roosters have come from behind to beat the star-studded Tigers in their past two meetings, including last year’s grand final.
Roosters captain Ben James said that a stable team had been the key to bringing down a Tigers line-up that featured a number of Melbourne Storm-aligned players.
“I don’t mind if their side is stacked full of Storm players, we’ll still beat them,” he said. “That’s probably their strength and their weakness at the same time.
“The coach is having to juggle these players coming in and out on a Thursday night and playing a game on Saturday.
“It’s not the best for cohesion between them, but they’re bloody good athletes because they train every day.”
This weekend is critical for clubs fighting it out for the top four.
In one of the tightest premiership races in years, one game separates the first five teams on the ladder, with Altona, Sunbury and the North West Wolves on 14 points, trailed by the Casey Warriors and Waverley-Oakleigh Panthers on 12.
This weekend sees the Roosters and the Tigers go head to head, while the Wolves and the Warriors will also meet. Panthers have the bye.
“It’s a tight comp at the moment,” James said.
“It’s really important for us to get on top of a team that no doubt will be there at the end of the year.”
The Roosters have been boosted by the return of half back Keni Blair.
Blair landed in Melbourne earlier this month after a stint in Queensland playing rugby union. The brother of NRL star Adam Blair, he has shown in one game how valuable he will be to the Roosters’ premiership defence.
“He played last week and was really good,” James said.
One of the players to watch is young centre Jonathon Toetu. Toetu is the go-to guy for the Roosters close to the try line.
“He’s a real up and comer,’’ James said. “He’s a bit of a strike player, he’s hard to handle one-on-one.
“We try to get him as much ball as possible.”
