Pressure firmly on Roosters: Noddy

Mitchell Pearce celebrates. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

IN his weekly column, Fox Sports expert and Canberra assistant coach Brett Kimmorley offers his thoughts on the semi-finals action in the 2013 NRL Premiership season.

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Sea Eagles v Sharks at Allianz Stadium

The game never reached the level of physicality I thought it would. I expected a brutal arm wrestle but it seemed as if Manly were trying to show everyone they could score points after being held to nil against the Roosters last week. It was like they had to keep the ball alive and try and wear the Sharks out. Manly were extremely tough, very disciplined and super fit, but sometimes they became their own worst enemy. The forward battle ended equal but the halves - Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran - were the difference. Cherry-Evans came up with a result on every play and every kick. His kicking game was the key and made him the star of the match. Cronulla were very brave, as they have been all year. To finish the season so well after all the dramas they faced this season showed the character of the players and the club. The Sharks were unlucky on a number of occasions. Jorge Taufua may or may not have lost control of the ball when scoring a try but he was still able to ground it and there was an unfortunate incident where Paul Gallen scored, but John Morris interfered with the marker. Michael Gordon has been Cronulla's best signing and a shining light for a club that deserve a massive pat on the back, having finishing better than they did last year.

Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs preview:

I think Manly will place South Sydney under some pressure because the Sea Eagles can handle the Rabbitohs physically and athletically which not many sides have been able to do this year. Manly will have a very aggressive defensive line which may unsettled the Rabbitohs, however by being that aggressive in defence they have vulnerable edges. If the Rabbitohs are able to execute their long shifting plays with Greg Inglis chiming in, they could cause concerns for the Sea Eagles. I expect this match to come down to the last five minutes with whoever comes up with the correct decision to win it. This time last year Adam Reynolds broke down when the Rabbits were leading the Bulldogs. He is the key to the victory more so than Inglis. Reynolds has to put Manly under pressure because if he doesn't Manly will march forward and Cherry-Evans will put them away.

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Storm v Knights at AAMI Park

Saturday was a wonderful coaching display from Wayne Bennett. From the first tackle Newcastle showed they didn't want to get in the arm wrestle with Melbourne. They had lost their last nine in Melbourne and there should have been fear going down there but they refused to let the Storm intimidate them. On tackle one, two and three, they moved the ball around and their outside backs got their sets off to a great start. I thought that was the key to keeping Melbourne from getting into that grinding kind of football that they like. Willie Mason, who has been a revelation, made some big metres while Danny Buderus used his nous out of dummy half. A lot has been said of Jarrod Mullen's maturity under Bennett but Tyrone Roberts was outstanding. 12-4 at halftime, they were able to score again and the Storm looked like they were gone. Newcastle's defensive line speed was rushing the Storm until a brilliant individual effort from Cooper Cronk got them back in the game. They got to within two points through Jesse Bromwich but in the end no-one made a mistake to lose the game. The Knights had belief, jumped out to a good lead and in the end were defensively great. They have been the best defensive side in the competition throughout the last month of football. They may be old in age but not in enthusiasm. 

Roosters v Knights preview:

Newcastle are going to have nothing to prove on Saturday night. The pressure will come from Sydney saying the Roosters should not only win but win comfortably. The Knights will be expected to lose. I am interested to see how the Roosters will handle the occasion. Newcastle were able to slow Melbourne down with a grinding style of football. They have certain players in their side who put pressure on ball playing opposition. I expect Jeremy Smith, Beau Scott and Danny Buderus to place plenty of pressure on Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney. It will be interesting to see which outside backs come up with the best plays. The Roosters rely on their backs for a lot of metres to start the sets and score the points at the end of the set, similar to how Newcastle played against Melbourne. There could be an upset on the cards come Saturday night.

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