Litmus test ... are the Roosters the real deal? Source: Renee McKay / AAP
Fox Sports league expert Ben Ikin looks ahead to round nine action in the NRL and picks out the five things he is most looking forward to.
The Rabbitohs continue to dominate ... or Cowboys find their groove
They're playing great footy and it's got all their fans excited. It would appear at this stage they're shaping up to be a genuine premiership force. Their one drama was inconsistency from game to game and even inside the 80 minutes they could be a patchy side; brilliant one moment, horrible the next. But they seem to have ironed out that part of what they do. The Cowboys just haven't found their groove. It's as simple as that. Being a board member at the North Queensland Cowboys, I, like everyone else linked to the club, am thinking "will this be the week"? While they've notched up a few wins and have got themselves into the top eight, they're still far from their best. Maybe being up against a top four side like the Rabbitohs will get them to rise.
Can the Dogs go three in a row?
Most people in rugby league, including myself, had the Dogs as a genuine premiership threat this year. But with the Ben Barba scenario and a few quality players on the sidelines, it's obviously put some question marks around them. They've started the season really slowly but I've seen glimpses in their performance that they're heading back to somewhere they need to be. But they still haven't arrived. They now head to New Zealand, which is going to be a really tough test for them because the Warriors, despite wilting a bit against the Titans, are a side that can punch out some really good footy. I'll be super interested to see if the Dogs can continue their winning run and whether or not Matt Elliott has finally sparked something in the Warriors.
The battle of the centres
The Knights are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Sharks in golden-point extra time. You have to get a lot of things right to beat a Melbourne Storm team, even if they're not playing their best footy - and the Raiders did. I was particularly excited about Blake Ferguson and Jack Wighton. I know Jarrod Croker has dropped out of that side but you've got two guys there who are over six-foot, close to 100 kilos that play physical footy. The thing that stands out for me is that you've got two centres there who despite their young age play really tough. Like most young blokes they can be a bit inconsistent, but I reckon up against Dane Gagai and Timana Tahu, it's going to be a brilliant clash. Both centres on both sides are quality players. Dane Gagai has got to be one of the brighter young stars coming through in the competition.
Dave Taylor's resurgence
He got a kick up the backside from Titans coach John Cartwright about a month ago, spent two weeks in the Intrust Super Cup and brained them for the Tweed Heads Seagulls. He earned his spot back in the Titans team and was so good against the Warriors on the weekend. It was a great balance of toughness and skill. Gorden Tallis has said before - and I wholeheartedly agree - that's probably something Dave has struggled with, getting the balance right in his game between being the match-winner and the bloke that gets in and does the hard work. He's still got a mistake or two in his game which as he matures, hopefully he's able to eradicate. The pass around the back that he gave on the weekend down that left edge against the Warriors was just sublime. With Origin looming, his focus will be on not only playing well for the Titans to keep his spot, but showing Mal Meninga that he deserves a place in that Maroons team.
Are the Roosters the real deal?
This is where we get to find out whether or not the Roosters are the real deal. They haven't had the toughest of draws to start the season - I think of their first eight games, they have only beaten one top-eight side. There are still some question marks over the Roosters because of that soft draw. I'm not suggesting for one minute that they're not the real deal, but when you come up against a side like Manly who just know how to win ugly, as they did against the Dragons in Monday Night Footy, you know you are going to have to work for your two points. So for everyone out there who supports the tricolours, come Monday night you are going to get a real version of where the Roosters sit in this competition after 80 minutes against the Sea Eagles.
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