Event of the Day: Sydney Roosters v North Queensland Cowboys
Our event of the day...
is the second Preliminary final of the 2017 NRL season between the Sydney Roosters and the North Queensland Cowboys at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The winner will go on to play the Melbourne Storm, who blew away the Brisbane Broncos in yesterday’s Preliminary final, in the Grand Final at ANZ Stadium on 1st October. Both the Roosters and the Cowboys will be desperate to book their place in the final - with their entire seasons on the line, get ready for a gripping day of NRL.
The Roosters have won 25 of the 35 games between these two sides, with the other 10 going the way of the Cowboys. The Roosters also won their last encounter 22-16 in round 21 of the season and will be favourites to beat the team they finished six places and eight points clear of in the league. The Cowboys will be buoyed by the potential return of their talismanic co-captain Matt Scott to the squad following a lengthy layoff with a knee injury. Whether he plays or not is yet to be seen however, but his inclusion in the squad is exciting news. North Queensland have made a habit of overcoming Sydney-based opposition despite the odds, can they do it again in this intriguingly-poised preliminary final?
Honourable mentions...
around the globe go to the second preliminary final of the AFL finals between the Richmond Tigers and Greater Western Sydney Giants at the MCG. Richmond have had a break since their 91-40 win over the Geelong Cats in the first week of the finals, meanwhile the Giants successfully navigated their way past West Coast Eagles in an impressive 125-58 win last Saturday. The winner will face the table-topping Adelaide Crows in the Grand Final back at the MCG on 30th September.
In athletics, the 2017 Invictus Games gets underway in Toronto, Canada. The games consists of wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans from around the world representing their country in a variety of adaptive sports. The weekend’s Premier League action includes a tasty-looking London derby between rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium in the day’s early kick-off. Harlequins host Leicester at the Twickenham Stoop in their latest Aviva Premiership outing. In boxing, Hughie Fury will challenge Joseph Parker for the WBO heavyweight belt in Manchester. In UFC, Ovince Saint Preux is up against Yushin Okami in Saitama, Japan.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by NRL