The Roosters head into their Magic Round blockbuster against competition leaders Cronulla in season-best form after smashing the Warriors 38-18 on Sunday afternoon.
The Tricolours had a field day on Sunday – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ 300th game as a Rooster – with try doubles for Dominic Young and Angus Crichton.
Crichton’s future at the club remains in doubt following the signing of David Fifita last week, but coach Trent Robinson praised the effort and confidence that Crichton brought to the team.
“[I like his] power, so his confidence to run over the guy in front of him, and then the confidence and the combinations around those guys between Luke and himself,” Robinson said.
“He’s really clear on what his role is in this team and what he can do to an opposition, and he’s going out and doing that each week.”
The Roosters scored three tries in the opening nine minutes, the first thanks to a Luke Keary charge-down that led to Young’s first try of the afternoon.
Robinson said that moment from Keary set the intensity of that dominant 20-minute period from the team.
Spencer Leniu made his return to the team in the 29th minute after his eight-match suspension, receiving a roaring reception from the home crowd.
With Keary and Sam Walker finally back in the halves together, and the likes of Daniel Tupou and Victor Radley back from injury, Robinson said the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together.
“You need to have strings to pull in the NRL at different times, depending on what the conditions are, what opposition you have that you’re playing against ... and now it’s about layering on some of the strings to pull in different sorts of games,” he said.
The intensity from the Tricolours slipped in the second half, and they let the Warriors back in the game with their first try after almost 50 minutes.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.Credit: Getty
The Warriors were a far cry from the team that played finals football last year. They didn’t get a touch on the ball inside the Roosters’ end for the first 21 minutes, and when they did get an attacking set they were too fatigued to do anything with it.
Shaun Johnson suffered a pectoral injury in the first half, soldiered on into the second, but came from the field with 14 minutes left of the match.
Johnson adds to the Warriors’ injury woes, with Chanel Harris-Tavita and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck already sidelined.
Coach Andrew Webster said Johnson’s injury wasn’t a rupture – which would mean months on the sideline – but couldn’t give a diagnosis on how bad the injury was.
“Yeah it’s a pec [injury],” Webster said. “Don’t know if he’s good for next week. He battled on at half-time, it was a tough conversation. He wanted to go on, he said ‘I want to go and fight here’, and I’m really proud of him, the way he wanted to do that.
“But yeah, where he’s at next week or anything like that, or how long if he’s out at all, I don’t know yet. He’s very sore at the moment. It started hurting him when he was passing the footy and things like that.”
It’s the fourth-straight defeat for the New Zealand side, who have the hard task of playing reigning premiers Penrith at Magic Round next week.
“We’re lacking confidence. I’m not going to gloss over it. It starts with me. I’ve got to find a way to get these boys confident and believe in how good they can be,” Webster said.
“It will turn, but it’s going to come from hard work and helping each other and making sure we’re in it together.”
