Roosters veteran Lindsay Collins has backed his firebrand teammates to control the red mist as they battle to keep their top-eight hopes alive.
The Roosters blew the Dolphins off the park last week in a fiery affair at Suncorp Stadium, with Spencer Leniu and Naufahu Whyte sent to the sin bin after a first-half melee.
Collins recognises it's a fine line between controlled aggression and reckless violence but said they must not take a backwards step against a physical Bulldogs pack in a Friday night blockbuster at Allianz Stadium.
The scrap that caused the carnage
"If you go into the red, sometimes it's hard to come out of it," Collins said. "The Roosters in the past have been known for that. The game can get away from you because you're still holding that redhead mentality.
"It was about calming the boys down [last week] and getting back to that flow state and level head. Spencer and Naufahu did a really good job of that. We wanted to bring the energy and it shows it means something to them.
"They came back out and continued on with the game and I felt like we did a better job at controlling that. In the past we've had a couple of games where we let that carry on throughout the game and it hasn't ended well for us. It's the maturity of this team coming out. We're playing for our season at the moment so every game counts and the boys understand that."
Match: Roosters v Bulldogs
Round 24 -
home Team
Roosters
8th Position
away Team
Bulldogs
3rd Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Friday's clash against the Bulldogs will kick off the inaugural Gadhu Gathering, with the Roosters hoping for a crowd in excess of 30,000. Three more games will be played at Allianz Stadium throughout the weekend in a celebration of Indigenous culture.
The match has major finals ramifications for both teams, with the Roosters currently ninth but level on points with the eighth-placed Dolphins. The Sharks and Broncos sit two points ahead on 28 points.
Brisbane will play the Dolphins on Saturday night in a match that will go a long way to determining both side's finals chances.
Up the top of the ladder, Canterbury sit third on 36 points, two points behind the first-placed Raiders. Canberra have the bye this week so are guaranteed two points, which means the Bulldogs must win to keep their minor premiership hopes alive.
Spencer Leniu Try
The Roosters have prided themselves on an aggressive style of play throughout the past decade, with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves setting the tone up front as the side's enforcer throughout more than 300 games in the NRL.
Leniu has picked up where the club legend left off and is viewed by many as one of the most exciting players in the competition.
He has, however, stepped over the line at times in the past two years and was involved in a confrontation with former Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston at Suncorp Stadium earlier this season.
The 24-year-old has thrived on hostile crowds while also relishing the support of rabid Roosters fans at home.
Back fence Spence: 'Just run it straight... '
Friday's clash will see Leniu go toe-to-toe with NSW Origin teammate Max King and a Bulldogs pack that has prided itself on physicality this season.
Roosters skipper James Tedesco expects plenty of fireworks but said they can't afford anymore trips to the sin bin.
"We were sticking up for each other and Spencer was sticking up for his teammates and his halfback," Tedesco said. "Any front-rower is going to do that.
"There's a fine line, which Spencer knows. He got charged for it so you can't let it boil over like that and you can't have players off the field. That can cost us, it can cost any team. Any time you're a man down or two men down it can change the game.
"When they came back on they had a level head, went about their business and dominated. I love the fire that our middles play with, we just can't have people off the field because it can cost you.
"I'm not going to tell them to stop being fiery because that's what makes them an intimidating pack and that's what makes them good players."
