Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders Prediction: Home factor could be a decider here

When the NRL action for Round 17 comes to a close on Sunday night, the Sydney Roosters will be taking on the Canberra Raiders. The home team will be looking to build on their victory against the Newcastle Knights from the previous week, while Canberra Raiders will look to get back to winning ways after losing to the New Zealand Warriors last time out.

The Roosters have had a difficult season, as seen by their record of 7-7 heading into this matchup and the fact that they have the poorest offense of any team in the competition. It seems as though James Tedesco has lost some of his step, Sam Walker has been demoted to the reserve grade, Joseph Suaalii is concentrating on other things, and Luke Keary hasn't been even close to his best since he's had troubles with concussions. It is difficult to see how the Roosters can battle for the premiership without making some significant adjustments coming into the business part of the season. Joey Manu continues to be a shining light, but the attack around him is disjointed, making it difficult to see how the Roosters can compete for the trophy. Having said that, Trent Robinson would have been pleased with his team's defensive fortitude in the 18-16 victory that they earned away at Newcastle a week ago.

The Raiders continue to be one of the most inconsistent teams, making them one of the most difficult teams to forecast on a weekly basis. They had won seven of their previous eight games leading into a home showdown with the Warriors to mark Jarrod Croker's 300th NRL game; however, they produced one of their poorest performances in years and suffered a devastating defeat by the score of 36-14. The Raiders are still in the top eight, but they have a dreadful record against the Roosters in Sydney; over the course of their last 20 matches against the Roosters, they have won only three of those matches.

The Roosters have been dominant at Allianz Stadium, winning four of their previous five matches there. In their last 20 matches played against the Roosters in Sydney, the Raiders have only won three of those matches. The Roosters three most recent contests have all been decided by a margin of two points or fewer. Nine of the Raiders' most recent games have ended with a score of one point to twelve.

This is going to be an extremely challenging and intensely competitive matchup. The Sydney Roosters are still a long way from their best, but they have reason to be optimistic following their performance last week. In contrast, the Canberra Raiders have a terrible record in this head-to-head matchup in Sydney and performed poorly in their most recent game against the Warriors. It won't be a pretty game, but the Roosters have won four of their last five games at Allianz Stadium this season, and they should be able to pull this one out.