The SCG might prove the secret weapon in the Sydney Roosters’ bid for back-to-back NRL titles with their near-perfect record there shaping as a crucial finals advantage.
The defending premiers sit second on NRL ladder, and won’t have leave the SCG in the finals until the October 6 decider at ANZ Stadium if they keep winning.
Much maligned by many for much of the season, the Tri-colours have embraced the old ground’s vast surroundings.
Unlike opposition halves, they have quickly adapted to the different outer dimensions of the ground and it’s shown on the scoreboard.
The Tri-colours have lost just once this year at the SCG, and that was in round one against South Sydney.
Since then, they have won six from six, with their average winning margin a whopping 31 points.
Such is their dominance at the ground, their closest match there since the Rabbitohs loss was a 20-10 victory on Anzac Day over St George Illawarra.
“We’ve had to get used to it pretty quick with next door (Allianz Stadium) being knocked down and renovated,” co-captain Boyd Cordner said ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Warriors.
“This is our home we have inherited.
“Being not the conventional field, an oval shape, we can use that to our advantage sometimes with teams not being used to playing on this big of a ground.”
Coach Trent Robinson is known for making his players feel at home in their stadiums.
He was a staunch defender of Allianz Stadium whenever it was criticised and, at one stage in 2016, even had his players pitch up a tent and sleep there overnight.
The following year, it helped the Roosters to maintain the best home record in the competition, dropping just one game there in the regular season.
They also won the title in their final season there last year, beating South Sydney in the grand-final qualifier in the last game at the venue before its redevelopment.
And while several have asked questions over the SCG’s surface and crowd experience this year, Robinson has again had his players embrace it.
“It’s got a lot of history here and Robbo is really good at instilling a lot of history with the Roosters,” Cordner said.
“If you look back at the history that has been with the Roosters and the history here, it connects really nicely.
“From the start of time in rugby league, this was the home. It was where they played their grand finals and everything. We’re happy to call it our home.”