Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson says the reverence and energy around Sydney Cricket Ground on Anzac Day will be the perfect lesson for inexperienced halves in finals football. The annual Anzac Day clash with St George Illawarra is one of the biggest events on the NRL calendar and the closest a team can get to the pressure of finals football. It's no do-or-die game, but the emotion of the day and a heaving crowd stirs adrenaline that needs to be handled. And for Roosters halves Drew Hutchison and Sam Walker, that experience will be invaluable come crunch time this year. "It's the things that surround the day," Robinson said ahead of Sunday's game. "There's so many things that you're excited about playing on Anzac Day. There's usually a slightly different preparation, you're in the change rooms to warm up but in the end you've got to go out and play your style of footy. "That's why it's similar to finals footy." It can be overwhelming, but it's part of the experience. "We deal with it through education from the senior players and the coaches in how to deal with the changes and how to dial into playing your sport," he said. "That's why it's great practice." Hutchison and Walker have just 21 NRL games between them but have stepped in to deputise while Luke Keary and Lachlan Lam are sidelined with injury.
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