GOLD COAST v SYDNEY ROOSTERS, Suncorp Stadium, Friday 7:45pm

The Story So Far: The Titans have improved in each of their four seasons in the NRL and now have the perfect opportunity to seize their first Grand Final berth. The Titans have an experienced team with an average age of 27 years with four premiership winners set to run out on Friday night against the Roosters. They also have the most formidable pack in the NRL that includes six representative players who have 15 Tests, 36 Origins and 11 City/Country appearances between them. The Titans have won seven of their last eight matches and have won four of their last five against the Roosters. The Roosters fell into the finals after losing three straight in August but bounced back with an unforgettable 19-15 victory over the Wests Tigers before touching up Penrith last week in what was arguably their most impressive performance of 2010. Both teams enter this preliminary final in outstanding form.

The Big Issue: This will be a game of field position and it will be decided on who wins the arm wrestle and who has the better kicking game. Scott Prince is arguably the best positional kicker in the game while Todd Carney, Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta all have big boots meaning the arm battle of the forwards should prove the determining factor. The Roosters have some big-shot merchants but do they have the class and the stamina to go 80 minutes with the all-star Titans pack?

Why to Watch: This is a game that will rewrite the history books as the Gold Coast chase their first Grand Final appearance and the Roosters look to become the first team in 76 years to go from last to first. There is also an enthralling halves battle as experienced champions Scott Prince and Mat Rogers battle it out against the hottest young pairing in the NRL in Dally M winner Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce. This match could also be the farewell match to Mat Rogers and Preston Campbell. Rogers is two-code star and one of the most decorated players of the last fifteen years who has announced 2010 as his last season while Campbell is considered an ornament of the sport who has defied his size with an amazing heart and commitment to the game who is believed to be close to announcing his retirement.

We Think: The Titans have proven themselves all season as a big game team having gone 10-4 throughout 2010 against finals teams. They have the dominant pack who rank second in metres gained and they have the smarts to grind out a win against a Roosters team who is very much a boom-or-bust outfit. If the Titans pack gets the Roosters on the back foot, Carney and Pearce are going to find it very hard to get anything going. We think the Gold Coast are going to win a low-scorer and advance to their first Grand Final.

The Next Step: The winner, of course, heads to the Grand Final. It would be the Titans first decider and the first Grand Final appearance of any team from the holiday strip while it would be the Roosters first appearance in the big one since 2004, when they lost to Canterbury-Bankstown. A win by the Roosters over the Titans would also keep alive the prospect of becoming the first team to go from wooden spoon to premier since Western Suburbs achieved the feat in 1934.

Gold Coast by 6

TAB SPORTSBET: Gold Coast $1.75, Sydney Roosters $2.00

*****

ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA v WESTS TIGERS, ANZ Stadium, Saturday 7:45pm

The Story So Far: The Dragons have not had a better opportunity to win their first title in 31 years and the first title ever for the merged St George-Illawarra entity. Under Wayne Bennett the club won its second straight minor premiership with a 17-7 record. The club has no major injury concerns and has class across the paddock. Most importantly, the Dragons are the top defensive team in the NRL having allowed only 299 points all season. To put that defensive performance in context, the Melbourne Storm were the only other team to allow less than 486 points. In the last four seasons, Parramatta are the only team outside of the top two defensive teams to play in a Grand Final while the top defensive outfit has won three of the last four titles. The Dragons have won seven of their last eight at ANZ Stadium and have won both matches against the Tigers since Wayne Bennett came to town. The Tigers are in their first finals series since winning the premiership in 2005. They finished third on the table, ranking fourth in defence and attack. The Tigers lost their opening finals match to the Tigers in a 19-15 classic before sneaking home against Canberra last Friday. The Tigers have a number of injury concerns with hardened backrower Gareth Ellis the biggest worry after playing needled up last week. Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens have over 1200 games experience between them with the two having won 10 premierships and coached in 12 Grand Finals.

The Big Issue: The Tigers have been fading badly in matches of late and cannot afford to do that against a Dragons team that can score points. The Tigers lost the last 30 minutes against the Raiders 12-2, they blew a 15-2 lead against the Roosters to lose in extra-time, they showed little against the Titans in the last 30 minutes in round 26 and they very nearly blew their round 24 match against Parramatta. The Tigers are not going to be able to get out to a big early lead against the Dragons so therefore will not be able to fade out late in matches, a result of the high injury toll the Tigers are suffering and the subsequent lack of depth on the bench. The Tigers need to turn up for 80 minutes. Will they?

Why to Watch: The last time the Dragons played the Tigers in a preliminary final, the match was a classic. The Dragons went in big favourites but riding a groundswell of popular support and hammering a mentally weak St George-Illawarra outfit early on, the Tigers booked their first Grand Final berth in 16 years with an outstanding 20-12 win. The lead up to this match is eerily similar. Will the Dragons handle the pressure this time around? Are the Tigers yet again the team of destiny? This match shapes as one for the ages.

We Think: The Dragons are looking as solid as they ever have over the last three decades and the arrival of Wayne Bennett should see the choker tag shed once and for all. The Tigers have a classy attack led by Benji Marshall but the Dragons defence is nearly impossible to break down and the Tigers fade outs in recent weeks show no signs of abating. The freak injury to Tigers' prop Todd Payten, who damaged his ankle after stepping on a tennis ball at training this week, has made their job even harder. The Dragons should suffocate the Tigers in the first 50 minutes of the game before the likes of Boyd, Soward and Hornby let loose over the final half-hour. Teams have to be at their best to roll the Dragons and we don't think the Tigers are playing at their best due to injuries and fatigue. The Dragons should win this and exorcise many demons in doing so.

The Next Step: A Grand Final position awaits the winner of this match with St George-Illawarra chasing their first trip to the Big Dance since 1999 while the Tigers have not been back to a decider since winning the premiership in 2005.

St George-Illawarra by 13

TAB SPORTSBET: St George-Illawarra $1.45, Wests Tigers $2.75