NRL 2020: The two men who will help the Roosters defend their premiership

The Roosters were subjected to their worst defeat in 10 years. It was a massacre. But anyone looking at the NRL Finals schedule must understand that actually, it’s the Panthers that are in trouble.

Souths players celebrate after Souths Alex Johnston scores his 5th try during the Souths v Roosters NRL match at ANZ Stadium, Homebush. Picture: Brett Costello

The Roosters are fresh off their worst performance in a decade but their premiership rivals still refuse to write off their chances of winning three straight premierships.

South Sydney ran riot against the Tricolours on Friday night, scoring 11 tries in a 60-6 massacre, but the Roosters will welcome back star duo Brett Morris and Joseph Manu for the first week of the finals, which should lock up their porous right-side defence.

The Roosters were thrashed by South Sydney on Friday night. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“History says they can’t, but having competed and played against the Roosters if there’s anyone who can break that hoodoo I’m sure they can,” said Storm coach Craig Bellamy.

“They’re a very polished side, but a very battle-hardened side as well.

“To be quite honest, I wouldn’t be taking too much out of the Roosters performance last night.

“The score shocked everyone, no doubt, but if anyone can fight back from that it’s the Roosters.”

With Morris and Manu rested, veteran backrower Mitchell Aubusson and back-up winger Matt Ikuvalu had a devil of a time containing South Sydney’s potent left edge as Alex Johnston raced over for five tries.

Triple M’s Ryan Girdler believes the star duo’s return will cure the Roosters defensive woes as the Tricolours gear up for a clash with minor premiers Penrith in the first week of the finals.

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Veteran Brett Morris will return for the final against the Panthers. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Joey Manu is a big inclusion for the Roosters. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“They put in Joey Manu, one of the best defensive centres, and one of the best defensive wingers in Brett Morris - that will shore up that side. The other side is pretty solid,” Girdler said on the Triple M Saturday Scrum.

“As funny as it sounds, it’s not going to take a lot for the Roosters to get their complement back and get some confidence around the training paddock.

“I think the biggest loser in all this is Penrith, if I’m being honest.

“A lot of the top sides have put themselves in a wonderful position, being able to rest players this weekend. Penrith haven’t.

“They haven’t had a lot of injuries, they haven’t done a lot of travel, but I think they planned to probably have a good win today, have a good win over Parramatta next week and give everyone a week off before the prelim.

“I believe at this point of the year (the Roosters) are a much tougher assignment for Penrith than Parramatta.”

Skipper Jake Friend was sidelined in the opening stages after a head clash but coach Trent Robinson said he’s expecting the veteran rake to be fit for next week.

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FLYER GRABS FIVE AS BRILLIANT BUNNIES HUMILIATE PREMIERS

Cathy Freeman will always own September 25 at ANZ Stadium.

But, geez, you can now give second to Alex Johnston.

In a photo from Cody Walker, too.

Beautiful.

Exactly 20 years after Freeman famously won Olympic 400m gold at Homebush, fellow indigenous stars Johnston and Walker marked the anniversary in spectacular style.

Specifically, with Johnston bagging five tries.

Yes, FIVE.

Alex Johnston has jumped to the top of the NRL tryscoring tally with 20 for the season.

Titans 36 Knights 6: Full match report here

While Walker, meanwhile … well, he scored two, orchestrated five more and didn’t so much invoke that infamous Book of Feuds as bash Roosters players about the head with it.

Truly, the bloke was in everything bar temperature checking Bunnies fans as they came through the gates.

And the numbers?

For the Roosters, the loss is their worst ever under coach Trent Robinson – and the first time they have conceded 60 points in a decade.

Oh, yeah, we can also tell you how no side has ever conceded 50 points in a season and gone on to win the premiership.

Which is some stat.

Made worse too by the fact Roosters heartbeat, No. 9 Jake Friend, left the field after just three minutes with a possible cheekbone fracture.

But more on that later.

For this night, undeniably, belongs to the Bunnies.

Cody Walker has produced one of the best performances of the season.

INDIGENOUS ALL STARS

Asked if he had ever overseen a greater attacking performance, coach Wayne Bennett said afterwards: “Not against that quality.

“There’s one or two similar in the career but not against that quality.

“And I’ve gotta say I’m humbled sitting here as a coach after that performance. I don’t know what the next month is going to bring, but nothing will surprise me.”

Especially, you reckon, with Walker.

“He’s got great instinct,” Bennett said of the man who orchestrated the club’s biggest win ever against the Chooks. “And that’s what the great players have.”

Elsewhere, Johnston’s try haul equalled a club record – and one he is already part of after bagging five against Penrith in 2017 – while also making him just the sixth Bunnie to reach 100 tries.

The performance also takes this Souths favourite to the top of the NRL tryscorer list, meaning he owes Corey Allan a schooner or three after the Bunnies fullback passed for his fourth when over the tryline himself.

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The Roosters were humiliated by their greatest rival, conceding the most points in a Roosters game ever. Picture: Getty Images.

BUSTED ROOSTER

Apart from being thumped on the scoreboard, the Roosters premiership hopes have also taken a hit after Friend suffered a possible cheekbone fracture.

The Friday Night Football blockbuster was just three minutes old when the Tricolours No. 9 suffered a serious head knock while attempting a tackle on Bunnies centre Campbell Graham.

Even before leaving the field, there was visible swelling and bruising under the eye of Friend, who could be gone for the season if the cheekbone is broken.

Afterwards, Robinson revealed Friend was set to go for scans while also labelling the worst loss of his NRL coaching career as “embarrassing”.

“You can’t feel much worse,” he said. “It hurts. There’s not much more to say.”

DISGUSTING DECISION

Of course, it wouldn’t be a game of rugby league without that most contentious of technological instruments – The Bunker – also copping a hit.

While it counted for nought by the finish, video referee Ashley Klein came under heavy fire for ruling ‘No Try’ against Campbell Graham in the first half.

While Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould described the decision as “disgusting”, you have to reckon even Bunnies fans had forgotten it by full-time.

Well, almost.

RABBITOHS (Tries: Walker 2, Johnston 5, Graham, Allan, Murray & Goals: Reynolds 10/12) ROOSTERS 8 (Tries: J Morris, Tupou & Goals: Flanagan 0/2) at ANZ Stadium, Sydney.

‘THEY SHOULD BE PLAYING FINALS’: TITANS SMASH RECORDS IN HISTORIC WIN

—Travis Meyn

Gold Coast dynamo AJ Brimson secured his first Queensland Origin call-up as the Titans rounded out 2020 on a high with a 36-6 win against Newcastle on Friday night.

The Titans equalled a club record five straight wins in the 30 – point domination at Cbus Super Stadium to finish the season in ninth spot on the NRL ladder.

And the star of the second half of the season was once again the Gold Coast’s hero, with Brimson scoring two sensational tries to crush Newcastle’s premiership credentials.

The Titans have equalled their longest ever winning streak with their fifth straight win. Picture: Getty Images.

With Queensland coach Kevin Walters watching on, Brimson turned a regulation kick return in the 50th minute into a contender for the NRL’s try-of-the-year with a 95m solo effort.

Showcasing his tremendous speed, Brimson beat five Knights defenders, including Queensland’s first choice fullback Kalyn Ponga, to send the 9877-strong crowd into raptures.

But he wasn’t done. Less than 20 minutes later, Brimson left another five Knights sprawling with his insane footwork to score his seventh try of the season and wrap up a big win for the Titans.

Brimson will next week be named in Queensland’s preliminary squad for the upcoming State of Origin series and is now a certainty to make the final 17 for the Adelaide opener on November 4.

AJ Brimson has surely secured his spot in the Queensland Origin team after yet another dominant performance. Picture: Getty Images.

Brimson, 22, missed the first 11 rounds of the season after suffering a broken back in the Perth Nines pre-season tournament, with the Titans only winning three games in his absence.

His return has coincided with the Titans winning six of their last eight games to rocket up the NRL ladder and narrowly miss a play-offs berth after collecting last year’s wooden spoon.

Brimson, who finished with 207m and eight tackle busts, averages the most line breaks per game in the competition this season after finishing with 13 busts from only nine games.

“I love AJ, he’s my favourite player,” said Titans coach Justin Holbrook.

“I saw glimpses of him in the pre-season. I just had a go about him being selfish and not playing until halfway through the year (laughs). If he plays earlier, we are playing finals next week.

“He is just an awesome player. A lot of players get hype and AJ has got to put himself into that category now. Fans have got to be excited to watch AJ play footy.”

Ashley Taylor is back to his best, scoring a double against the Knights. Picture: Getty Images.

THE ENTERTAINERS

The Titans have transformed from plodders to arguably the most entertaining team in the NRL to watch.

The team’s ball movement in the second half of the season has been slick and daring, with the Titans not afraid to chance their arm.

The 60m effort set up and finished by Ash Taylor in the third minute was a perfect example of the tries the Titans are capable of scoring.

Taylor then backed it up with another long-range effort, this time racing 70m to give the Gold Coast a 26-6 lead in the 62nd minute.

They are well drilled and play with discipline but coach Justin Holbrook has empowered the Titans with the confidence to play what’s in front of them which is difficult to defend.

If the season hadn’t been reduced from 24 to 20 rounds the Titans could have mounted a late charge to the finals, and some teams would have been nervous about facing them in this sort of form.

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The Knights have a lot of soul searching to do after one of their worst performances of the season just a week out from the NRL finals. Picture: Getty Images.

GOOD KNIGHT NEWCASTLE

The Knights had tries to Mitchell Pearce and Edrick Lee disallowed by The Bunker in the opening 10 minutes, but it meant little in the end.

On the eve of the finals, Newcastle was comprehensively outplayed and became the first top eight team to lose to the Titans in 2020.

After a hot start to the year, the Knights fell in a slump mid-season and haven’t fully recovered.

They will face the Rabbitohs in a knockout final next week and even if they progress to week two of the play-offs, the Knights are not a premiership threat.

They made too many errors and had no answers for the Gold Coast’s daring attack and ball movement.

Prop Jacob Saifiti is also facing suspension following a crusher tackle on Young Tonumaipea.

Titans 36 (Tries: Taylor 2, Rein, Kelly, Brimson 2, Proctor & Goals: Taylor 3/6 & Fogarty 1/1) Knights 6 (Tries: Lee & Goals: Lino 1/1) at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast.