Rivalry awaits as Sydney Roosters hold off fast-finishing Cowboys to claim 26-20 victory
THE Roosters have five days to sharpen up their act for the top-of-the-table Rabbitohs after hanging on for victory over a fast-finishing Cowboys on Saturday night.
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HATRED is headed for Homebush.
The countdown to Friday night at ANZ Stadium is on with 110-year-old rivals South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters set for what many believe is a preview of this year’s grand final.
A marketing dream for a crowd-starved NRL, the Roosters have five days to improve their act if they intend on beating the top-of-the-table Rabbitohs after hanging on to victory over a fast-finishing Cowboys on Saturday night.
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Roosters coach Trent Robinson has no doubt his side can step up in what we billed as the game of the season at Sydney Olympic Park.
“I’ve walked back into the change rooms and the guys are happy they’ve won, but they’re searching for more from themselves,’’ Robinson said.
“I know there’s a steeliness that they’ve got after each game to get more out of themselves and so we need to prove that.
“We want to improve and we look forward to the clash next week.
“It’s a big clash and a big clash at anytime. And for us, we know how we want to play.
“The guys need to take a breath on what they did tonight.
“We’ve had two big games in a row on six-day turnarounds, quite physical battles, so we’ll take a breath and get ready to go.’’
On a night where Johnathan Thurston celebrated his final match at Allianz Stadium by moving past Andrew Johns to third behind Hazem El Masri and Cameron Smith on the list for all-time leading pointscorers, the Roosters were pushed to the edge by the Cowboys.
Flashy tries from outside backs Latrell Mitchell, Joseph Manu, Blake Ferguson and Daniel Tupou had the Roosters flying 26-8 early in the second-half.
But guilty of wanting to rack up a score by drifting away from their game-plan, the Roosters got the shakes when tries to Thurston and Gavin Cooper bridged the gap to 26-20 with a thrilling final 15 minutes remaining.
Thank you to a champion, Johnathan Thurston. #NRLRoostersCowboys pic.twitter.com/0qFW8aZAjJ
— Sydney Roosters (@sydneyroosters) 4 August 2018
The Cowboys were excellent, failing to complete just one of their 34 sets and they made just one error the entire game.
But in the story of their season, just couldn’t find the vital points when it mattered most.
Jake Friend recieved special mention from Robinson who described the Roosters hooker’s 52 tackles as “incredible.’’
Ryan Matterson, deputising at five-eighth for injured star Luke Keary, failed to shirk his task. Robinson said he would persist with the utility playmaker.
The loss leaves the Cowboys in 15th spot and in danger of collecting their first wooden spoon since 2000.
Sitting in third-place behind Melbourne, the Roosters will be desperate to square the ledger against the Rabbitohs, who beat their arch-enemies 26-14 in round six this year.
On that night, South Sydney steamrolled the Roosters pack by running for an extra 200-metres - despite a suspended Sam Burgess watching from the sidelines.
After Saturday night, the challenge for the Roosters will be to find a complete 80-minute performance with just four weeks remaining in the regular season.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 26 (B Ferguson J Manu L Mitchell D Tupou tries L Mitchell 5 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 20 (G Cooper J Taumalolo J Thurston tries J Thurston 4 goals) at Allianz Stadium. Referee: Alan Shortall, Adam Gee. Crowd: 9,721.
Originally published as Rivalry awaits as Sydney Roosters hold off fast-finishing Cowboys to claim 26-20 victory
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