Roosters Blue meets Henley Raiders in tomorrow’s SA Rugby League division one grand final

TOPPLING the only side to beat it this year will be Roosters Blue’s motivation when it meets Henley in tomorrow’s division one rugby league grand final.

TOPPLING the only side to beat it this year will be Roosters Blue’s motivation when it meets Henley in tomorrow’s SA Rugby League division one grand final.

The Elizabeth Downs-based club will shoot for its third straight flag as it ­clashes with the minor premier at Victoria Park in the season decider.

Captain Adam Levi says getting the better of the Raiders, who beat the ­Roosters three times in the minor round, is spurring his side on.

“We love it – it will bring the best out in every individual in our team,” Levi, 32, says.

“We love adversity and it just fuels our fire.

“We’re very relaxed but you can tell that tempo and intensity is a whole lot higher, and everyone is vying for their positions.”

Roosters Blue, who finished the season second, have dominated SA rugby league in recent seasons.

Front rower Levi says leading the club to its first three-peat will cap the most successful period in its history.

“It’s pretty much unheard of in sport these days,” Levi says.

“We’re really cherishing the opportunity and it means so much to our club that every individual on our team will be making sure we bring it home.”

The Roosters will look to powerful backs Mark Jury and Ashraf Mohammed to nullify the Raiders, who defeated the Eels (I) 24-12 in Sunday’s preliminary final.

Levi, who joined the club in 2011 from Port Adelaide, says winning the battle on the wings will be key to victory.

“The difference with Henley this year is that they park those big forwards out wide and we’re probably the only team that has size on the fringes to mitigate that,” he says.

The northern club will also be represented in the division two grand final, after Roosters White defeated Panthers 20-12 in Sunday’s preliminary final.

The side will meet Eels (II) in that decider.

Eels captain Nigel Dennis says his side is hitting form at the right time after a slow start to the campaign.

He says a five-match winning streak and a full squad to choose from has raised hopes of adding to last season’s flag win.

“It’s been a tale of two halves,” Dennis, 28, says.

“We turned the corner mid-season once we started getting our Defence Force players back.

“Since then, we’ve been able to get some consistency with the combinations on the field, so we’re really confident going in.”

The Eels failed to register a victory in its first five matches.

But it has won seven of its past eight matches, capped by last weekend’s 33-24 semi-final defeat of the Roosters.