Sydney Roosters’ bid to turn a flagging campaign around does not get any easier with a trip to Newcastle and a spine reshuffle.
The 12th-placed Tricolours have won just one of their last five, squeaking past the Bulldogs 25-24 in Round 14 – largely thanks to James Tedesco’s class – but were comprehensively outplayed in an error-strewn 30-6 loss to the Panthers last Saturday. The Roosters have the worst attacking record in the NRL.
Joey Manu lines up at fullback in NSW skipper Tedesco’s stead, which brings youngster Sandon Smith into the halves.
With Lindsay Collins on Origin duty and Matt Lodge left out, Nat Butcher moves to prop, Naufahu Whyte starts at lock and Terrell May joins the bench. Billy Smith returns at centre, with Drew Hutchison reverting to the interchange.
The Knights sit 13th but would have beaten most sides in the competition with the heart they showed in a 24-20 loss to the Broncos last weekend, conceding two tries in the last 11 minutes of a match they arguably deserved to win.
Kalyn Ponga stood tall at fullback, while fellow Maroons reject Dane Gagai laid on two tries, and the Saifiti twins combined for 331 metres.
Lachlan Fitzgibbon returns in time to replace NSW second-rower Tyson Frizell, but in a major blow tryscoring, metre-eating winger Greg Marzhew has been dropped for disciplinary reasons and replaced on the flank by Enari Tuala.
The Roosters have won 15 of their last 18 against the Knights, including five of the last six in Newcastle. Honours were shared last season, with the Knights pulling off a 20-6 upset at the SCG in Round 1 before the Roosters responded with a 42-12 away win in Round 19.
The Knights are surprisingly short $1.52 favourites, but form-wise they do appear to have an advantage over the reshuffled Roosters in most departments. Luke Keary has a massive job in front of him leading the embattled heavyweights…the Knights should be able to scramble their way to a pivotal win.
The post Newcastle Knights vs Sydney Roosters Tips and Odds – NRL 2023 Round 16 first appeared on JustBetting.com.au.
