‘Give the game away’: Bryan Fletcher says Anzac Round could flip NRL on its head

The NRL is set for its biggest round of the regular season with already so much riding on the outcomes of it’s most hyped clashes.

Andrew McMurtry

@AndrewMcMurtry

4 min read

April 20, 2023 - 5:32PM

Anzac Day could make or break the Dragons and Roosters’ seasons. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

There are few bigger weeks during the regular season of the NRL calendar than Anzac Round.

While the wins are still only worth two points on the ladder, the round is the only one where the calendar is twisted around to ensure two huge clashes on the day commemorating the Anzac’s landing at Gallipoli way back in 1915.

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Special one-off jerseys, the playing of the The Last Post and minutes of silence where you can hear a pin drop are equally embraced by the fans as they are the players.

Since 2002, the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons have faced off in the traditional match on Anzac Day — missing only the 2020 edition as the NRL was shut down — while the Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors have played off in the trans-Tasman Anzac clash since 2009. The Storm and Warriors also didn’t play in 2015, with the Gold Coast Titans facing New Zealand on Anzac Day.

Former Roosters and South Sydney star turned Fox League expert Bryan Fletcher played in the inaugural official Anzac Day clash in 2002, which was his last season for the Roosters.

Fletcher in the first Anzac clash. Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images

He still said it holds a special place in his heart.

“It’s my favourite day of the year Anzac Day, I just love it,” Fletcher told news.com.au. “I just love how we all celebrate something important in our history and pay our respects to the ladies and the men who still to this day, dedicate their lives for us.

“To be able to play in that first game, I had played on Anzac Day before but it certainly wasn’t like this. It just happened to fall on a Saturday and they played The Last Post which was pretty good.

“But it this game is now just grown into something fantastic along with the one in Melbourne. The one (in Sydney) will have 40,000 there and it’s always pretty close contests, we’ve seen some crackers over the years. Certainly now this will never be taken away from the rugby league calendar.”

On paper, it’s a hard match to judge because neither the Roosters or Dragons are setting the world on fire this season.

The Roosters are ninth after two straight losses and have undergone a week where its attack has been under the microscope after dropping halfback Sam Walker.

Meanwhile the Dragons have lost four of their last five to sit 13th and Fletcher called the side’s 20-14 loss to the Raiders last weekend “one of the lowest games I’ve ever seen”.

But with the emotion and atmosphere around the Anzac Day, Fletcher has no doubt the game will deliver.

“It’s a bit like a rivalry, you have to throw the form out the window because every player can just get up for this,” he said. “Or you would think they would. If you can’t get up for an Anzac Day clash, at 4 o’clock with a full house, you’ve got to give the game away.

The Dragons have to turn a corner. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“You just get caught up in the emotion of it. You’re standing there listening to The Last Post and you hear from Diggers and stuff like that.

“Both clubs will probably get an ex-serviceman to come in. It’s a week long of guys learning a little bit about what these guys and girls did for us.”

While the Roosters and Dragons have traded victories in the Anzac clash over the last 11 editions, the Storm and Warriors’ clashes have been a bit more one sided.

Melbourne have won the last six Anzac clashes and nine of the 12 matches overall, with the Warriors last winning in 2014.

But Fletcher believes 2023 could be the year the high-flying Warriors could end the nearly drought.

“I think it will be (the year they end the drought),” Fletcher said.

“The way they’re playing, they’re playing totally different to the Warriors teams we’ve seen over the years in the sense of when they get behind, it is very high risk plays and offloading, they panic a little bit.

“To come back from 20-0 down at Shark Park against a top four side, you’ve got to give a lot of credit to their coach.

“The coach is the only difference — they’ve got a couple of new players but over the years they’ve always gone out and bought players. They’re playing more like a consistent top 8 team where they’re not making any errors.”