Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm Prediction: This should be a well competitive matchup

The NRL matchup between the Sydney Roosters and the Melbourne Storm in Round 20 will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Both teams are heading into this clash on the heels of a loss in their most recent contest, so it should be an exciting and close contest. Which camp will emerge victorious in this match?

The Sydney Roosters have had another disappointing season in 2023, as they have now lost three of their last four matches. With 16.4 points scored on average per game so far this season, Sydney is now ranked 16th in the league in terms of points scored coming into round 20. They are also ranked last in the league in Linebreaks and 15th in Run meters, demonstrating that things have not gone well for them so far this season. The Roosters have a large number of players who will be available for this round 20 matchup. Brandon Smith has experience playing in the reserves, so he is ready to contribute off the bench this week. Concussion protocols have cleared the way for the return of hooker Jake Turpin and forward Egan Butcher to the team. The same can be said for Billy Smith and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who were sidelined for round 18 after hitting their heads during practice. It is possible that James Tedesco and Lindsay Collins will return from Origin III if their bodies are able to handle it.

When the Penrith Panthers defeated the Melbourne Storm in round 18, they were riding a three-game winning streak. Since then, the Melbourne Storm have had a week off to rest and recoup, and they will now concentrate on the run home while also maintaining the health of their pack. The 1264 run meters that Melbourne was able to accumulate against the Penrith Panthers are a significant drop from the 1423 run meters that they had accomplished on average during the season. After sustaining a concussion in Round 18, Will Warbrick will move to the wing position to fill his place. It has been decided that Maroon Origin representatives Harry Grant, Xavier Coates, and Cameron Munster will all participate in the post-Origin III match.

Over the course of the past four and a half seasons, Sydney and Melbourne have met each other for a total of nine games during the regular season. The Storm have a dominating lead in the head-to-head statistics, collecting seven wins to the Roosters' two in the matchup between the two teams. The Storm prevailed in the one and only finals match between these two teams in 2019, which took place. At AAMI Park in round 6 of this year's competition, the Melbourne Storm defeated the Sydney Roosters by a score of 28-8, putting an end to the Roosters' three-game winning streak.

The Roosters are in desperate need of a run of excellent form, but sadly, the Storm are far too skilled at identifying an inconsistent team's weaknesses and capitalizing on those discoveries. My money is on the Storm to minimize the attacking opportunities presented to the Roosters while simultaneously increasing their own advantage early on through the play of their wingers. It will be difficult for Sydney to score many points here, and if Melbourne gets a comfortable lead, they will limit the number of points; therefore, a bet on few points.