The Roosters play reigning premiers Griffith Waratah Tigers in Sunday’s qualifying final at Exies Oval after securing third on the ladder with a heart-stopping 25-24 victory over Yenda in the final round.

While only a field goal separated the teams at full-time, the Roosters were the dominant side in the first half after scoring three converted tries and keeping the Blueheelers scoreless with a sterling defensive display.

The Roosters’ second half wasn’t nearly as polished, but McGoldrick said the first 40 minutes was difficult to fault.

“That first half we defended four or five sets on our line on two occasions,” he said. 

“That sort of stuff more than scoring tries in the finals is going to win you games.

“I was pretty pleased with that, but I think that game highlighted how close the competition is.”

McGoldrick doesn’t expect anything to change in the finals series, especially against Waratahs, who have won their past five games.

“It’s going to be a tough one against them,” McGoldrick said.

“I’ve sort of thought the whole year that Waratahs definitely had the potential to be the best team in the comp on their day.

"We’ve played them twice and got two wins luckily enough, but both those games weren’t easy.

“Both of those could have gone either way. We’re under no illusions about what we’re up against.”

The Tigers boast numerous attacking threats such as fullback Johnny Teleaga and prop Mike Ioapo, but DPC aren’t short of game-breakers either.

One of their best is English import Josh Veivers, who underlined his worth to the Roosters by snapping the match-winning field goal against Yenda. 

McGoldrick said the fullback’s experience and composure could prove crucial in the finals. 

“He’s used to playing at a high level and hopefully he can bring that to these games,” he said.

Kick-off is at 2.50pm.