Temara's actions must speak loudly for Roosters to spring upset
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Zahara Temara looms as the key to the Sydney Roosters' chances of winning the NRL Telstra Women's Premiership on Sunday with a potential recall to the Queensland side on the line.
While the Roosters will have one eye on trying to shut down the threat of Ali Brigginshaw and her teammates after last week's defeat, they can gain the ascendancy if Temara produces her best.
On her day, the quietly spoken Temara is one of the best in the game, as seen with her player-of-the-round heroics against the Warriors in round two.
However, she's yet to make her mark on the big stage and there will be no greater test than Sunday's NRLW grand final at ANZ Stadium.
"If I just keep it simple and back myself hopefully I can get better and better," Temara told NRL.com.
"I'm not trying to go out and pull two tries from nowhere. It's definitely a mindset thing for me.
Match: Broncos v Roosters
Grand Final -
home Team
Broncos
1st Position
away Team
Roosters
2nd Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
"I think Feens, our assistant coaches and playing group have made things a lot easier this season. We just all need to play for each other now. We've got a good culture going with a lot more belief."
Roosters coach Jamie Feeney, who has spent ample time with Temara over the past five years at the international level, knows what it takes to unlock her talent on a regular basis.
"Z doesn't say a lot, not to us anyway or around the team, but on the field she does," Feeney said.
Get Caught Up: NRLW Round 3
"She's a really good organiser and doesn't seem to get flustered. We saw that [in round one], she dropped a couple of balls early under a bit of pressure but just took it in her stride.
"It's just about making sure she's comfortable with the role that she's playing. We're not playing from a playbook that's 15 pages long.
"We've got a very simple play sheet and it's just about everyone jumping on board. It makes her and Corban's job easier to control the speed of the game and what we do at the end of those sets."
A season-ending back injury to Charlotte Caslick has all but ruled the cross-code star out of being selected for the Maroons in the interstate clash on November 13.
Along with Brigginshaw, rising young gun Tarryn Aiken stands in the way of Temara earning an Origin recall after missing last year's game with a leg injury.
Aiken, who hails from NSW's Central Coast but has opted to play for Queensland under residency rules, has been a star for the Broncos and impressed at Maroons training camps earlier this year.
Aiken scores the opener
