Matchday Details
Sunday, 19 April 2026 – 2:00pm AEST – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Ashley Klein | Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco (c), 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Hugo Savala, 4. Robert Toia, 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 6. Daly Cherry-Evans, 7. Sam Walker, 8. Naufahu Whyte, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Lindsay Collins, 11. Angus Crichton, 12. Siua Wong, 13. Victor Radley, 14. Connor Watson, 15. Spencer Leniu, 16. Nat Butcher, 17. Salesi Foketi, 18. Cody Ramsey, 19. Tommy Talau, 20. Benaiah Ioelu, 21. Egan Butcher, 22. Billy Smith
Newcastle Knights: 1. Fletcher Sharpe, 2. Dominic Young, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Fletcher Hunt, 5. Greg Marzhew, 6. Sandon Smith, 7. Dylan Brown, 8. Jacob Saifiti (c), 9. Phoenix Crossland, 10. Trey Mooney, 11. Thomas Cant, 12. Jermaine McEwen, 13. Mat Croker, 14. Harrison Graham, 15. Pasami Saulo, 16. Cody Hopwood, 17. Francis Manuleleua, 18. Kyle McCarthy, 19. Peter Hola, 20. Tyson Gamble, 21. Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana, 22. James Schiller
Match Preview
Fresh off a comeback victory over Cronulla in Perth, the Sydney Roosters return home to face a Newcastle side looking to return to the top four after suffering their second defeat of the season.
The Roosters fell back into bad habits to find themselves down by 16 points during the first half against the Sharks, before fixing things up and scoring five unanswered tries to win 34-22.
Newcastle were brought back down to earth somewhat with a 42-22 loss to the Wests Tigers on Sunday after starting the Justin Holbrook era with four wins in five games.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has retained the same 19 that overcame the Sharks in round 6, with Hugo Savala retaining his position at left centre despite Billy Smith being available after injury.
Holbrook has made a number of changes to the Newcastle side that went down to Wests, headlined by the return of marquee recruit Dylan Brown for the first time since round 2. His return at halfback sees Sandon Smith move to five-eighth and Fletcher Sharpe to fullback, with Fletcher Hunt moving to centre, and Wilson de Courcey dropping out of the side. Tyson Frizell (ribs) and Dylan Lucas (throat) are both unavailable, with Thomas Cant starting in the back row and Cody Hopwood and Francis Manuleleua joining the 17. Kyle McCarthy and Peter Hola are also included on the extended bench.
In many regards, the Roosters’ performance against Cronulla in Perth summed up their past few seasons. When their discipline was poor in the first half, making numerous errors and conceding penalties and set restarts, they found themselves well behind. When they got it right in the second half, they put the pressure back on the Sharks and ran away with the win. Robinson will be looking for a complete performance in order to continue their climb up the ladder.
Despite starting the season in excellent form, the Knights were never really in the contest against the Tigers. Too many errors and penalties hurt them early and they didn’t recover. They did manage to show their attacking flair in the final 10 minutes, however it mattered for little in their 20-point defeat. In some concerning signs for Holbrook, they missed 46 tackles and had a further 25 ineffective.
It’s the battle of the new halves combinations on Sunday afternoon. The combination in the halves between Sam Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans is showing slow signs of improvement, though they still have a long way to go. The calm head of Cherry-Evans complements the attacking flair of Walker, and both have their share of try involvements, but they’re yet to properly gel as a pair. This will be the first real opportunity for Sandon Smith and Dylan Brown to play alongside each other after Brown lasted just 40 minutes of their only start together. Brown put in a strong performance in round 1, while Smith has been a key part of Newcastle’s wins since Brown’s injury.
This match will mark the first time that Smith and fellow former Rooster Dom Young, along with Holbrook (who served as an assistant to Robinson) have faced their old side since departing the Tricolours.
The Roosters have long dominated this fixture, winning 39 out of 62 overall, including 18 of the past 21. The Roosters’ defence has been a major reason for their dominance, with the Knights scoring more than two tries just four times in their past 15 meetings. The last three meetings have been closer than typical, with the Roosters winning by two points twice and by four points (12-8) in the last. This will be Newcastle’s first trip to the new Allianz Stadium, making them the last of the 17 teams to visit the venue (though Cronulla are yet to play a regular season game there). They lost their last seven games at the old stadium, not tasting victory there since 2009. They did beat the Roosters in their last meeting in Sydney, 20-6 at the SCG in 2022.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Roosters by 12
Bold call: Sandon Smith and Dom Young to both score against their former club.
Related
- NRL Round 7 Predictions
- NRL Round 7 Team Lists
- NRL Round 7 Hub
- NRL Injury List
- NRL Match Review Tracker
