NRL Round 14 Preview and Prediction - Wests Tigers v Sydney Roosters @ Campbelltown Stadium

Wests Tigers v Sydney Roosters @ Campbelltown Stadium
 
Preview - The Tigers have a mountain to climb as they look to break a 4-game losing streak against the high flying Roosters at Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers produced a far more competitive performance last week in narrowly going down 16-12 to the Dragons at ANZ Stadium. However, the side is desperately struggling in attack this year having scored just 36 points in their last 4 defeats at an average of less than 10 points per game. The Roosters got back in the winner’s circle defeating the Broncos 18-16 in a high quality game at Allianz Stadium to leapfrog the Broncos into the Top 4.  The Tigers put tin their most competitive performance for the past month with a narrow 16-12 loss to the Dragons at ANZ Stadium. The Tigers remain with just 3 wins from 12 games and just 1 win ahead of the last placed Newcastle Knights half way through the season. 
 
History - The Roosters have completely dominated the Tigers since 2011, winning 12 of the past 13 matches including winning the past 7 encounters and all by an average margin of 13+. In those last 7 matches, they have an amazing 27-point average winning margin. Overall the Tigers have managed just 8 wins from 28 games against the Roosters. 
 
Wests Tigers’ Scouting Report - Saoaso Sue returns from suspension straight into the Tigers’ starting pack with Chris Lawrence once again succumbing to a hamstring injury. Youngster Esan Marsters retains his bench spot after making a strong showing against the Dragons last Saturday. Tui Lolohea showed glimpses of his potential with an eye-catching debut for the Club last week, however he still looks overweight and was exposed defensively on one of the Dragons’ tries. 
 
Sydney Roosters’ Scouting Report - The Roosters have lost Daniel Tupou to a hamstring injury, which shifts Latrell Mitchell to the wing, with Mitchell Aubusson moving into the centres.  Star halfback Mitchell Pearce returns after he missed the Broncos’ game with the concussion he suffered during Origin 1. Connor Watson has to be content with a place back on the bench, with Zane Tetevano out of the 17. Blues and Roosters’ Captain, Boyd Cordner, was enormous last week for the Chooks, and might fancy targeting some of the Tigers’ suspect edge defenders in this game after his 2-try performance against the Broncos. 
 
Verdict - Roosters by 20+
 
This could be really ugly for the Tigers. They have a shocking record against the Roosters, and they struggle to defend against sides with pace and power, and the Roosters have that in abundance. Expect the Roosters to spin the ball to the fringes early and look to create second phase play against a Tigers’ defence that notoriously finds this sort of football hard to deal with. The Tigers looked toothless in attack last week and, if the Roosters can shut down Tedesco you virtually shut down the Tigers at the moment without the services of Luke Brooks. With Mitchell Pearce returning, the only thing I think can beat the Roosters here is complacency, playing against a side they usually whip even in down years. I expect this game to be high scoring with the Roosters going close to scoring 40 points.