Mitchell Pearce has called for the Sydney Roosters to resurrect the Bondi wall if they're to claim the NRL premiership.
The Roosters are coming off back-to-back losses but were heartened they could go toe-to-toe with title favourites Melbourne in last weekend's 16-13 loss at AAMI Park.
The Storm have established themselves as the team to beat on the back of their staunch defensive work, which has seen them concede the least points (312) and the least linebreaks (72) all year.
"Defence is the biggest thing," Pearce said.
"You don't win the comp unless your defence is in the top two. I think at the moment we've done a good job of that.
"When the pressure comes on, that's when it really matters.
"Defence is a big part of it for us as a team. Any success we've had in the finals before has been built of the back of our defence."
Their 2013 premiership win was built on their work without the ball when they let in just 325 points during the regular rounds - 41 less than their nearest rivals.
Their loss to the Storm knocked them out of the top two but they point out they conceded just one try and another penalty try against the league's best team.
Heading into Saturday's showdown with the struggling Wests Tigers, Pearce said he felt like the Roosters were building heading into the finals.
"The Cowboys game... the way we finished and then on the weekend, we showed we can play finals footy and we're every chance to have a crack," Pearce said.
THE BONDI WALL
How the Sydney Roosters' defence stacks up this year
* Points conceded - 380 (4th)
* Penalties conceded - 135 (8th)
* Run metres conceded - 30,378 (12th)
* Linebreaks conceded - 93 (9th)
* Missed tackles - 567 (8th)
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