4th spot

[Maxy Walker]

If you’re thinking let’s finish 5th so we don’t have to play the best teams then you may as well not turn up for the finals at all. You’ve already conceded that you’re just making up the numbers.

[BUDDY]

I can't see us finishing 4th but if we did and we lost we are likely to play Parra or Manly in week 2 should we lose.
If we finish 5th or 6th and we win first week then we are likely to play Souths, Manly or Parra in week 2.
So hardly any difference.
So coming 4th and having a slim chance of getting a week off then surely that is our best option.
One game at a time.

[Bruce Pickett]

Given that there wont be any home ground advantage in the semis, then I dont see how finishing 5th is preferable to 4th ! sure its a harder opponent in wk1 , but your guaranteed to week 2 and if you can spring an upset...you get the week off and are one game away from the GF.
Absolutely prefer to finish 4th over 5th !

I agree. I don't think we should try and play for table positions - recipe for disaster. Play to win.

Last round last year v Souffs - heading into the match, I didn't really care if we'd lost as our table position was assured. But after a 60 point hiding, I don't think we ever recovered.

[ism22]

Not quite sure about that. I doubt we will finish top 4 but Id always prefer a second chance.

We would need to win by 50 points to jump the Eels and we've got Penrith next week.

IMO if we hand in there we could jump them as the Eels still need to play the Riff, Drizz, Souffs and Manly. Losses to all 4 could also provide them with a bit of an adjustment to their PD.

If we come 4th then we're guaranteed a ticket to week 2 of the finals and we'd play a 5-8 team in round 2 rather than a 1-4 team.

[Andrew Walker]

Fifth is what we want. Fourth is a death sentence.

If we win tonight we should end up fifth because I expect Manly will be fourth and Parra sixth.

Massive gane.

Not quite sure about that. I doubt we will finish top 4 but Id always prefer a second chance.

[Mickie Lane]

It's an incredible effort. All time actually.

See how Penrith go without To'o BMoz, Cleary Keary, Yeo Cordner, Api Friend, JFH Collins.

[OMR]

I was thinking 5th is better to avoid playing storm or Penrith in wk 1, but now I’m thinking 4th and a second chance guaranteed, and avoid someone on a winning streak and d steaming into 8th spot.

[Hawkeye]

Given that there wont be any home ground advantage in the semis, then I dont see how finishing 5th is preferable to 4th ! sure its a harder opponent in wk1 , but your guaranteed to week 2 and if you can spring an upset...you get the week off and are one game away from the GF.
Absolutely prefer to finish 4th over 5th !

[kakaruk]

I don't think it matters much to us, I know that no side outside the 4 has won in the modern era but I really cant see us beating the top 3 sides regardless of where we finish. The team has played with all the heart in the world and done the club proud this season .Every commentator in the game is amazed that the chooks are running 5th most clubs with the injuries we have suffered would be in a fight for the spoon not 4th place in the comp. The only thing I want now is for us to finish the season with no more injuries

[ism22]

I'd much rather play Melbourne and have the second chance. Beat Melbourne and you get a week off and are one win away from the GF.

Yep exactly.

If you pray for mediocrity coz you don't think you can beat a team then

Last year we got within 1 point of beating Pemriff in round 1, despite having similarly crippling injuries. That's all she wrote, but had the guillotine fallen down a little bit differently, our fortunes coulda been vastly different.

To me there's two ways of looking at this, noting we are 5th. It's not a Willie Wanka moment where we were 16th and he was saying we could still make the finals with roughly 5 games to go. Despite having horrible luck, we're in this...
- A bean counter would say 'you have no chance and you've got better odds of beating the Dragons (for example) in round 1... so who cares... you should aim for 5th, not 4th'. If you're a fukking bean counter like this then go grab yourself a vomit green cardigan with a knitted viking on the front and start blowing on that massive, fake horn they've got stored out the back somewhere (while all the guys cheer you on with a synchronised clap) coz that's all the action you're gonna get during these finals.
- The athlete/competitor/fanatic says 'dare to dream a little muddafukkaz? A shot beating #1 and then a 2nd chance is better than having the possibility of getting bundled out by a lesser team in round 1...'

IMO it's a but like a tennis grand slam. Some poor b*gger will always draw the top seed in round 1. Lleyton Hewitt always said 'well that is good because if I beat him, I'll take the #1 seed's schedule'. Same here. The chance of stealing the Drizz' finals schedule (while improbable) is what you live for as a competitor. We've seen it every day at the Olympics... favourites can choke & others can lift. I live for those 1% moments where we've been written off and still show up.

[ism22]

I'm not very confident about the Roosters' chances of finishing fourth, but it's worth pointing out that if we do, it's as good as finishing first. I reckon there's very little chance any team will have a home semi this year.

We'd basically have to:
- Beat the Eels (who have a much better PD)
- Win all of our remaining games (excluding the Pemriff & Souffs games)
- Hope the Eels don't have upset victories against the Riff, Drizz and Souffs (plus Manly) while concurrently keeping a 1 game gap between us and Manly (who also have a much better PD than us (partly) thanks to the fukking NRL imposing its temporary 'zero tolerance on all "high" contact' during a time where we played the Drizz, Riff and Souffs.

It's doable and I hope we get there purely because I wanna see us win as many games as possible. I mean, it's a flog's attitude to try and lose games coz you don't wanna play the Drizz/Riff in round 1 of the finals. I mean - ideally we'll play the Drizz in round 1 of the finals and kick their butt. As a fan that's certainly what I WANT to see

That said... I won't be too bummed if we come 5th as (like last year) it could give us a better run during the finals.

[player 1]

I'd much rather play Melbourne and have the second chance. Beat Melbourne and you get a week off and are one win away from the GF.

100 %. Gotta beat em sometime, may as well be first week of semis and aim for a week off and a prelim berth.

[Batemans Bay Rooster]

Fifth is better. Would you rather play Melbourne in week 1 or whoever limps into 8th? Go into week 2 after a win & play someone coming off a loss.

I'd much rather play Melbourne and have the second chance. Beat Melbourne and you get a week off and are one win away from the GF.

[Nicola Tesla]

The only team behind East’s I would consider a threat is Canberra! A game against them would leave some sore bodies!

[Big Dog]

Fifth is better. Would you rather play Melbourne in week 1 or whoever limps into 8th? Go into week 2 after a win & play someone coming off a loss.

Zachary.