Roosters defy injury to down plucky Parramatta 32-18
Parramatta had their moments but the Roosters handed the Eels a reminder of what it takes to contend for the premiership with a 32-18 win at ANZ Stadium.
Roosters
Don't miss out on the headlines from Roosters. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Roosters have sent the Parramatta crashing back down to earth after handing the Eels a 32-18 loss, their first of the season.
The Roosters started the game slow and looked nowhere near their best but by the end of the match showed why they are the premiers.
Despite taking a conservative approach to their attack in the first half, the points flowed freely in the second half, scoring four tries.
The ability to poke holes in Parramatta’s line came on the back of some impressive work from some of the Roosters’ unheralded forwards like Siosiua Taukeiaho, Isaac Liu and Zane Tetevano.
Coach Trent Robinson called his side’s performance “imperfect” but was still happy with the tenacity they showed in the final stages of the game.
“We got better the longer the game went. There was stuff that got us in a lot of awkward position. But I was happy with the way they handled the back end of the game, it showed good class,” Robinson said.
BLUE AND GOLD WALL FALLS
Eels coach Brad Arthur refused to entertain the idea that some of his sides old habits had crept back in the second half.
But he was willing to admit his team “soft” on their own line and that was the difference in the result.
The Eels let in four second half tries and Arthur said if they were going to beat the better teams in the competition then his side needed to show more steel on their own line.
“The tries were soft in the second half. We came here tonight looking for an opportunity and we gave ourselves an opportunity with 20 minutes to go. We turned over cheap position, we can blame that if we wanted too but if we want to mix it with the good teams we need to be harder on our line. We can’t allow soft tries,” he said.
ROOSTERS POWER THROUGH INJURIES
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves suffered a rib injury and Jake Friend looks to have aggravated the same injury that kept him out of last week’s clash against the Sea Eagles. But his replacement Victory Radley more than held his own filling in at number nine.
“He’s not a bad footy player Victor, his versatility is vital to us. It’s not just about filling a role, it’s about making it your own and being able to execute and he’s done that. He knows when to run and when to pass. He’s not a hooker, he’s never stood there for a season but he’s a pretty good footy player,” Robinson said.
Robinson was just as impressed by some of the lesser-feted forwards in his side, who also rose to the occasion in the absence of enforcer Waerea-Hargreaves.
“Isaac Lui has had a massive couple of weeks. I don’t know if anyone knows him he’s been playing for about 150 games and keeps going about his job. He is us. He is what we love in a footy player. He played a big game this week and another one tonight,” Robinson said.
PARRA RECRUITS DO THE JOB
Most of the accolades have gone the way of Blake Ferguson to start the season and rightfully so. But the Eels two other recruits have been just as much of a revelation. Junior Paulo not only ran the ball hard played for 37 minutes straight in the first half, he threw a cutout pass which led to a try that would be the envy of most playmakers in the NRL.
‘That was incredible that pass, did you see how straight he played that ball?” Andrew Johns said of Paulo’s skill during the commentary.
There had been speculation that Maika Sivo’s time could also be up in Brad Arthur’s top 17. He’s had an unhappy time with his handling and has been caught out defensively over the opening rounds. But he showed how dangerous he can be when charged down the field to turn defence into attack in the second half and then when he crashed over twice, out muscling Ikuvalu to score both times.
It doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere, not anytime.
TEDDY’S ON TOP
The NSW Blues fullback was superb. He ran for 134 metres, made eight tackle busts, two linebreaks, two linebreaks assists and one try assist.
“Teddy nailed it, if you see the work he actually does. There was a lot of kicking tonight, there was some early kicks, grubber kicks, long kicks and he turned up for all of it. Then he finished off the game with a pass to Siosiua and a try on the right hand side,” Robinson said.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 32 (J Tedesco 2 M Aubusson V Radley S Taukeiaho tries L Mitchell 6 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 18 (M Sivo 2 B Ferguson tries M Moses 3 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Peter Gough. Crowd: 13,367
Originally published as Roosters defy injury to down plucky Parramatta 32-18
Why Tedesco won’t close door on rep return
The stats show that James Tedesco didn’t deserve to lose his rep jerseys last year, and the Roosters veteran hasn’t given up on winning them back.
Player poll video: NRL stars reveal biggest threat to Panthers dynasty
The NRL’s biggest stars have revealed their biggest threat to the premiership in 2025, while the four Las Vegas-bound representatives selected the teammate most likely to go missing in Sin City. WATCH THE VIDEO.