The Roosters' five-game winning streak has carried them in to the top eight and has them poised to play finals footy for the sixth year in a row.
With James Tedesco in supreme form and their forwards doing a mighty job in the middle, the Roosters are looking every bit a serious title contender, but they still have some significant challenges ahead.
Most expect them to roll over the top of the struggling Tigers on Saturday night but the Storm and Rabbitohs will offer far sterner tests in the final two games of the regular season.
Having dropped to last on the back of their loss to Cronulla, the Tigers must dig deep against the Roosters, Dragons and Raiders in their last three games if they are to avoid the joint venture's first ever wooden spoon.
The Rundown
Team news
Roosters: Mid-season recruit Oliver Gildart makes his club debut with Paul Momirovski dropping out on Friday. Gildart scored five tries for North Sydney in NSW Cup last weekend. Big men Lindsay Collins (concussion) and Siosiua Taukeiaho (cheekbone) remain sidelined.
Wests Tigers: Ken Maumalo returns from a knee injury so Starford To'a moves to the centres and James Roberts drops out. Alex Seyfarth has been added to the bench and Tyrone Peachey goes to the reserves. Stefano Utoikamanu (wrist) and Luke Brooks (calf) are not expected back until Round 24 at the earliest. No changes in Friday's 24-hour update.
Key match-up
Luke Keary v Adam Doueihi: Different size, different styles but both No.6s are critical to their team's chances. Since returning to the field in Round 19, Keary has helped orchestrate convincing wins over Newcstle, Manly, Brisbane and the Cowboys, finding his groove with halfback Sam Walker and igniting plenty of raids down the Roosters' left edge. Doueihi only started his season in Round 15 after a knee reconstruction but his running game and powerful boot have added a new dimension to the Tigers. For all his efforts, the Tigers have tasted victory just once in eight games since he came back and that will not sit well with the ultra-competitive Doueihi.
Stat Attack
The Roosters have racked up 182 points in the past five games at a tick over 36 per game. Their season average is 24.7ppg. The Tigers average just 15 points per game across the entire year with 314 points in 21 games. Only the Knights have scored less points in 2022 with 308.
Story first published on NRL.com