NRL late mail: Anzac Cup v Roosters
St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has finalised his 17 ahead of the Dragons' traditional Anzac Cup clash against the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, April 25.
Jack Bird will play in the halves, with Adam Clune shifting to the interchange. Cody Ramsey will move one spot in at centre with Jordan Pereira named to make his first start of the season on the wing.
Billy Burns will become St George Illawarra player No. 244 when he starts in the back row. Josh Kerr reverts to the bench and Kaide Ellis will stand in at 18th man.
Ben Hunt (leg) was ruled out on Saturday after being named on Tuesday, alongside utility Brayden Wiliame. Poasa Faamausili was the final player cut from the squad.
Blake Lawrie (cork) returns in the front row for Trent Merrin, who announced his immediate retirement on Wednesday.
The game will kick-off at 4:05pm, with the official Anzac Day ceremony to commence at 3:30pm. It is encouraged that tickets be pre-purchased ahead of the anticipated sell out.
The traditional Anzac Cup clash fell victim to Covid-19 last year, with the Roosters currently holding the trophy following their 20-10 win in 2019.
Since 2002, the two teams have met on Anzac Day 18 times. The Dragons have won 11 Anzac Cup games to the Roosters' seven.
The Ashton-Collier Spirit of Anzac Medal will again be awarded to the Man of the Match.
St George Illawarra fans will again be given the opportunity to bid on player-worn commemorative jerseys leading into the NRL's Anzac Round. The auction will commence on Friday, April 23 with a proportion of the funds again to be donated to the Australian War Memorial.
NRL team for Round 7 v Sydney Roosters –
1. Matt Dufty – sponsored by EFEX
20. Jordan Pereira – sponsored by CMG Audio Visual
2. Cody Ramsey – sponsored by Aspec Masonry
4. Zac Lomax – sponsored by Floormania
5. Mikaele Ravalawa – sponsored by Wollongong Jetski
6. Corey Norman – sponsored by TripADeal
3. Jack Bird – sponsored by Kingsgrove Sports Centre
8. Blake Lawrie – sponsored by Gym Solutions
9. Andrew McCullough (c) – sponsored by Dincel Construction System
10. Paul Vaughan – sponsored by Fox and Jones
18. Billy Burns – sponsored by Professionals Padstow
12. Tariq Sims – sponsored by Modus Projects
13. Tyrell Fuimaono – sponsored by TLE Alexandria
Interchange:
7. Adam Clune – sponsored by Narellan Pools Illawarra
11. Josh Kerr – sponsored by Sneaky Burger
15. Josh McGuire– sponsored by Deicorp
16. Daniel Alvaro – sponsored by Manna from Heaven
18th man: Kaide Ellis
Traditional Anzac Day fixture results (since 2002) –
2002: Sydney Roosters 24-20 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 20,578)
2003: St George Illawarra 24-20 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 26,014)
2004: Sydney Roosters 11-8 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 26,246)
2005: St George Illawarra 26-24 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 32,270)
2006: St George Illawarra 22-12 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 31,105)
2007: Sydney Roosters 18-4 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 18,240)
2008: St George Illawarra 26-6 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 21,596)
2009: St George Illawarra 29-0 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 28,926)
2010: St George Illawarra 28-6 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 36,212)
2011: St George Illawarra 24-10 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 34,976)
2012: St George Illawarra 28-24 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 40,164)
2013: Sydney Roosters 34-10 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 40,752)
2014: Sydney Roosters 34-14 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 38,784)
2015: St George Illawarra 14-12 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 35,110)
2016: St George Illawarra 20-18 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 34,483)
2017: Sydney Roosters 13-12 St George Illawarra in golden point (Crowd: 40,864)
2018: St George Illawarra 24-8 Sydney Roosters (Crowd: 41,142)
2019: Sydney Roosters 20-10 St George Illawarra (Crowd: 38,414)
Ashton-Collier Spirit of Anzac Man of the Match medallists –
2010: Darius Boyd (St George Illawarra)
2011: Darius Boyd (St George Illawarra)
2012: Ben Hornby (St George Illawarra)
2013: Boyd Cordner (Sydney Roosters)
2014: Jake Friend (Sydney Roosters)
2015: Benji Marshall (St George Illawarra)
2016: Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra)
2017: Mitchell Pearce (Sydney Roosters)
2018: Tyson Frizell (St George Illawarra)
2019: Boyd Cordner (Sydney Roosters)
