NRL's Finals Series 2015: 5 Storylines to Watch for in Semi-Finals
The only thing we know for certain in the National Rugby League is that we will see a new champion crowned in 2015.
With South Sydney Rabbitohs knocked out in the opening round of the playoffs, six sides now remain in the battle to reach the grand final.
While Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos enjoy a well-earned week off, four teams go into the next round of fixtures looking to make it through to the preliminary finals.
Minor premiers Sydney Roosters host the Canterbury Bulldogs on Friday, while Cronulla Sharks travel to North Queensland to face the Cowboys the following day.
The choice is clear for those still standing: Win or go home.
Bleacher Report has picked out five talking points ahead of the semi-final games, starting with a question over the side that finished the regular season on top of the ladder.
Are the Chooks Cooked?
Sydney Roosters finished the regular season as minor premiers and headed into the playoffs on a 12-match winning run.
However, that streak came to an end in the qualifying final when Melbourne Storm recorded a 20-18 triumph at the Allianz Stadium last Friday.
If the Roosters want a chance to avenge that defeat on home soil, they must get past a Canterbury Bulldogs squad that has plenty of experience of knockout ties.
Last year the Bulldogs upset Manly Sea Eagles at the same stage of the season, so could history be repeated?
If the stats are to be believed, Sydney should definitely be worried.
Canterbury coach Des Hasler has never failed to take a side all the way to the grand final after winning in the first week of the playoffs, according to Chris Kennedy of the NRL's official website.
Department of Health I
First he was in, now he’s out.
Mitchell Pearce looked set to give the Roosters a timely boost by returning for the must-win clash with the Bulldogs.
Pearce hadn’t played since round 24 of the regular season due to a hamstring injury, yet he was initially named in Sydney’s lineup for the game at the Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
However, he failed to make it through the captain’s run on Thursday, meaning Jackson Hastings will continue in the halves in Pearce's absence.
The teenager played well in the defeat to Melbourne, but there was the release valve in that game of knowing the losers would get a second chance.
Hastings' coach, Trent Robinson, is backing the half-back to cope with the pressure, per Christian Nicolussi and Dean Ritchie of Fox Sports, "Jackson has been preparing himself for longer than most. He’s been dreaming of big-game footy and he played a lot of big-game footy as a young kid."
Department of Health II
While the Roosters lost Mitchell Pearce to injury, the Bulldogs have had their own health issues in the buildup to the big match.
According to Michael Carayannis of the Sydney Morning Herald, a virus has threatened to scupper Canterbury’s best-laid plans, with two players having to be quarantined due to illness.
Carayannis wrote, "It is understood one of the players has not trained all week while another was told to leave on Wednesday after he too started showing flu-like symptoms with a severe head cold. The duo should play on Friday night but remain in doubt."
At least the visitors are boosted by the availability of Frank Pritchard, who successfully challenged a one-match ban.
The forward—who is heading for Super League club Hull FC next year—was punished after an incident involving St George Illawarra’s Gareth Widdop last week but is now free to face the Roosters.
Sam Kasiano is also clear to feature for the visitors. He escaped any further punishment despite being cited for a challenge on Widdop in the same match.
Feeling the Strain
North Queensland Cowboys missed out on earning a week off when they went down 16-12 to state rivals Brisbane Broncos last Saturday.
It seems Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston could have done with the extra time to rest and recover.
Instead, though, he and his North Queensland team-mates now have to gear up for a massive playoff clash with Cronulla Sharks on Saturday.
The Australia international has spoken out against the demands of the schedule, per Phil Lutton of the Brisbane Times:
You look at some of the boys, it's a heavy workload. At the same time, it's exciting when you are still in with a chance.
But some of the boys really look fatigued out there and the workload has really taken its toll.
I think the fans deserve to see the best players playing their best football and not feeling drained and physically and mentally run down.
Thurston—who this week won the Rugby League Players’ Association Players’ Player Medal for a record fourth time—needs to summon up another performance if the Cowboys are to keep their season alive.
Will the Sharks Sink or Swim?
Cronulla ended the title defence of South Sydney Rabbitohs last time out, easing to a 28-12 victory over the reigning champions in their elimination final.
However, the Sharks have to go on the road to continue their quest to make it all the way to the grand final at ANZ Stadium.
At least a trip to 1300SMILES Stadium to face North Queensland should hold no fears for them.
They triumphed 24-18 at the ground in round 16 of the regular season, rallying from an 18-0 deficit to shoot down the Cowboys.
The Sharks are aided by the availability of Michael Ennis, the hooker having escaped suspension after issuing an early guilty plea to the charge of a grade-one high tackle.
Ennis said of the high shot on South Sydney’s Chris McQueen, per the Australian Associated Press (h/t the Guardian): "These days accidents get marked as grade-ones. We’ve just got to deal with that as players. I’m just fortunate that I’ve survived this one."