NRL 2020: Sydney Roosters beat Parramatta Eels 24-10
The Parramatta Eels have proved themselves to be genuine contenders but the Sydney Roosters were just too strong, despite losing James Tedesco, winning 24-10.
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* Wests Tigers 36 - 20 Cowboys: Read the Full Report
* Titans 8 - 20 Dragons: Read the Full Report
Parramatta fans dared to dream for two minutes. But just like the Roosters snatched the lead back to end the Eels’ undefeated start to the season to win 24-10. Regardless of the result both teams proved they are genuine premiership contenders. The Roosters led 8-0 at half-time after dominating the opening half but two pieces of Michael Jennings magic gave the Eels the lead mid-way through the second half. He stepped past opposite Joey Manu to score his own try before laying one for Maika Sivo. Sivo ran over the top of James Tedesco for his try which left Tedesco unable to finish the game because of concussion.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said Tedesco “showed a lot of courage” and was OK.
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The Eels joy was shortlived when Luke Keary sliced through just two minutes later to set-up Boyd Cordner for the Roosters to lead by four.
Keary said coach Trent Robinson told him at half-time to back himself.
“We thought they were covering our shifts,” Keary said. “Robbo said to have a couple of cracks at their A and B defenders.”
Kyle Flanagan added consecutive penalty goals to add to the Roosters points with one resulting in a Jennings sin-bin. The victory stretches the Roosters winning streak to five.
The Roosters have not conceded a point in the first half of their past three matches.
Robinson praised his team’s resolve.
“I woke up this morning as a coach, thinking I can’t wait to watch tonight,” Robinson said. “As a coach but also as a fan. I didn’t think we were on top of the ground as much as we wanted. We were patient in the first half to get the points and dominated the last quarter which was good.”
ROOSTERS TOO PROFESSIONAL
Eels coach Brad Arthur highlighted his team’s commitment in defence but said they were poor in the big moments.
“They are too professional for us in the end,” Arthur said. “When we got to 10-8, we only had the ball for four or five sets after that to their 13. We did well to fight our way back in. We didn’t build pressure, once we were able to build pressure we got some rewards.
“We scrambled well and kept turning up…there were big moments that cost us and let us down.”
Nathan Brown has a long judiciary record and he could be in for further drama after collecting Victor Radley with a swinging arm. While he wasn’t placed on report, Brown will come in for heavy scrutiny for the tackle which left Radley taken from the field for a concussion test with 15 minutes left.
MORRIS’ ON SHOW
Just how did the Roosters end up with the Morris brothers? Despite being in the twilight of their decorated careers, the Morris twins are still as dangerous as ever. Brett Morris scored the only first half try after 20 minutes when a James Tedesco cut-out pass bounced perfectly for the winger. Morris still had to beat two covering defenders to score. Not to be outdone, Josh on the other side of the field looked the Roosters most dangerous attacking player. He caused nightmares for the Eels right edge defence – cracking 100 running metres in the first half with two line-breaks and set up the final try to Daniel Tupou.
WINGER ON WINGER
Tupou struggled with a bad cork which Robinson said “it looked like he couldn’t walk”.
“He couldn’t move,” Robinson said. “I thought this isn’t getting better…but he got a bit more freedom. Then the man grew the longer the game went.”
Tupou did well though to push opposite Blake Ferguson over the touch in goal line to deny Ferguson a try. Ferguson looked like he had the Eels first points when he scooped up a fumbled Tupou bomb but Ferguson was denied after making contact with Tupou in the air.
Full-time SYDNEY ROOSTERS 24 (B Cordner B Morris D Tupou tries K Flanagan 6 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 10 (M Jennings M Sivo tries M Moses goal) at Bankwest Stadium. Referee: Ben Cummins.
TIGERS BLOW WOEFUL COWBOYS AWAY IN COSTLY WIN
—James Phelps
Michael Maguire will reluctantly return Harry Grant to Melbourne with the Tigers coach admitting he can do nothing to stop the star-in-the making from becoming the Storm’s next Cameron Smith.
Only getting his top-grade shot because of a swap deal with the Storm, Grant last night announced himself as a State of Origin bolter for Queensland by spearheading a record-equalling first half blitz that proved too much for the Cowboys.
On a night that kickstarted the Tigers season and put Paul Green in the firing line, Grant terrorised the Cowboys in a bittersweet coming of age performance for the coach that will honour the terms of his Melbourne deal by sending the young gun back to the Storm.
“We only got him for this year and we understand that,’’ Maguire said.
“We can only go game by game and watch Harry grow. He is part of what we are doing here this year and our focus is on this.”
Racing away to a record equalling 34-0 lead at halftime, Grant combined with Brooks for a first-forty frenzy that proved too much for the Cowboys despite a face saving second half that saw them score four tries.
Grant is expected to return to Melbourne at the end of the year even if Smith extends his record breaking career by playing another year.
“Who knows what happens down the track?’’ Maguire said.
“Those things will work themselves out. As long as he is playing good footy for us, we will watch him grow and see where he goes.”
The only blemish on Grant’s game came in the 56th minute when he conceded a penalty try for attempting to stop Kyle Feldt from a scoring a four pointer with his foot.
SHOCKING START
IT took the Tigers just 106 seconds to land the first blow with Zane Musgrave scoring a try that left Paul Green fuming.
Scoring their fastest four-pointer since 2016, the prop forward brushed past Scott Drinkwater and Justin O’Neill to score a try as soft as a coronavirus stockpile of Kleenex.
Unfortunately for North Queensland the nightmare had only just begun.
In a horror first forty that started when Jason Taumalolo dropped the ball on play one, the Cowboys conceded six tries as the Tigers piled on a record equalling 34 first half-points.
“We just lacked that intensity,” Green said.
“We had a lot of young guys out there but there are no excuses. You cannot excuse that first half. We weren’t in the contest in that first half. We weren’t in the contest until we knuckled down and got into the game. We have to look at the performance for what it is. There was some really bad stuff.”
After watching both the Tigers best and worst halves of the year, Maguire called for consistency.
“We need to lock down 80 minutes,” Maguire said.
“But I was pleased to see that the players were not happy after the game with surrendering what we did in the first half.”
NO QUITTER
Josh Reynolds has endured more in a year than most would a career. He has been dropped, injured, and shopped to rival clubs. He has made headlines for a dodgy police drug test. And hardest of all, he was falsely accused of assaulting a deranged former girlfriend. For many it would have proved too much. Not Josh. He was finally given a reason to smile last night when he celebrated his first win of the year.
“He has been performing well for the team,” Maguire said.
“He has been exactly in all the areas we have talked about. We controlled the came to plan in the first half but went away from it in the second.”
IN THE EYE OF THE TIGER
Marsters had a night to forget with the Tigers targeting their former teammate in his first clash at Campbelltown since join the Cowboys.
Giving Marsters reason to regret his big money move North Queensland, Moses Mbye, Luke Brooks, and Luciano Leilua combined to terrorise the highly rated centre as the Tigers scored three first half-tries down his flank.
It was a horror homecoming with the Tigers piling on 34 unanswered points before North Queensland scored three tries in a second half fightback.
Full-time WESTS TIGERS 36 (J Aloiai L Brooks R Jennings J Leilua M Mbye Z Musgrove tries M Mbye 6 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 20 (K Feldt 2 S Drinkwater E Marsters tries J Clifford K Feldt goals) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. Referee: Henry Perenara.
SCRAPPY DRAGONS TOO GOOD FOR INJURY HIT TITANS
-AAP
If James Graham has played his last NRL game, St George Illawarra provided a fitting farewell.
Much like gritty forward Graham, the Dragons got down and dirty to grind out a 20-8 win over an injury-hit Gold Coast Titans and clinch their second straight victory at a wet Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Graham’s Dragons days appear numbered after the England forward approached the club this week about returning to the UK Super League this year to join St Helens.
Graham is hoping to fill the vacancy created by St Helens prop Luke Thompson who has been released to play for NRL rivals Canterbury.
At first not much went to script for what looks set to be Graham’s swan song, drawing the curtain on his 186-game NRL career.
Graham was demoted from lock to the bench by coach Paul McGregor before the kick-off.
But Graham finally emerged in the 20th minute to help the Dragons grind out their fifth straight win over the Titans, further easing pressure on McGregor. The Titans started well to give hope to the 1,930 fans, made up mostly of Gold Coast members, marking the first time supporters were allowed in to NRL games in Queensland since March 13.
The Queensland government announced this week that up to 2000 fans could attend matches from Saturday as coronavirus restrictions eased.
But by the end they would have been forgiven for wondering why they braved the largely miserable conditions with the Titans battling to fire a shot while reduced to just one man on the bench.
Gold Coast still managed a consolation try to Tanah Boyd in the 76th minute after winger Phillip Sami (hamstring), centre Young Tonumaipea (knee) and Titans debutant, ex-Wests Tigers No.1 Cory Thompson (head knock), were forced off. McGregor’s only concern was playmaker Adam Clune being forced off with a head knock in the final 10 minutes.
In a scrappy encounter the Dragons grabbed a winning buffer when winger Jordan Pereira ran off Clune to score in the 46th minute.
The Dragons grabbed a 14-2 halftime lead after overcoming some early resistance from the hosts in slippery conditions.
The Titans drew first blood with an Ash Taylor penalty in the opening minutes but from then on it was all Dragons.
Impressive fullback Matt Dufty put Zac Lomax through a hole and the centre used wonderful footwork to elude Thompson to score in the 17th minute. Winger Mikaele Ravalawa then pounced on five-eighth Cory Norman’s cut out pass to crash over in the 26th minute.
Fullback Thompson - who arrived from the Wests Tigers this week - came off for treatment after a high shot from Pereira midway in the first half.
Full-time ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 20 (Z Lomax J Pereira M Ravalawa tries Z Lomax 4 goals) bt GOLD COAST 8 (T Boyd try A Taylor 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Chris Sutton.