NRL 2021: Sydney Roosters destroy Canberra Raiders’ finals hopes

The side that the Raiders knocked out of the 2020 premiership race returned the favour in emphatic fashion on Thursday evening.

The Roosters ended the Raiders’ finals hopes on Thursday night. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The Canberra Raiders’ season is finally over after they produced their worst performance of the season with everything on the line, going down 40-16 to the injury-ravaged Roosters who are now a chance to finish in the top four.

A win would have moved the Raiders into eighth spot, but as they’ve done so often this year, they crumbled when the blowtorch was applied and showed little effort or enthusiasm against a team that had almost nothing to play for.

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A finals berth would have masked what has been a very poor season for Canberra. At least the reviews can begin as they try to work out what went so wrong in 2021.

Not a lot went right on Thursday after Canberra started well but fell away sharply in a shocking first half that didn’t get any better.

The Raiders led 12-6 after 20 minutes but headed into the sheds down by eight points on the back of six errors and five penalties in the first half.

Terrible way for @RaidersNRL to end a forgettable year.
Gotta admire the spare parts @sydneyroosters team - got the rub of the green but wonderful performance. pic.twitter.com/jH4mTyMR5E

— The Mole (@9_Moley) September 2, 2021

In many ways, the @RaidersCanberra players deserve this ending to the season from hell. Rather than knuckling down during hard times in 2021, they turned it up. I hope they’ve learnt their lesson. Nothing great is easy. #NRLRaidersRoosters

— Craig Norenbergs (@CraigNorenbergs) September 2, 2021

One day Valamei and his team-mates will catch up and have a laugh about “that game”. Poor fellah. #NRLRaidersRoosters

— James Smith (@JamesSmith1001) September 2, 2021

Winger Semi Valemei, who was a late inclusion for Seb Kris, had a horror night with his hands and had to be shifted to the left edge after he was taught a rugby league lesson by veteran Daniel Tupou.

Valemei looked clueless under the high ball, with one of his four errors leading directly to an Adam Keighran try, but he wasn’t the only misfiring Raider.

Skipper Elliott Whitehead opened the scoring but then wasted a captain’s challenge late in the first half and followed it up with an expletive-laden tirade towards referee Gerard Sutton, who had his own run-in with the Bunker over a contentious Roosters challenge.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was placed on report and conceded a potential eight-point try for collecting Matt Ikuvalu with his hip, while Jordan Rapana was also cautioned for a shoulder charge.

Jack Wighton was virtually unsighted again and the Raiders need to recruit a high-profile halfback if they want to avoid another year of mediocrity.

The Raiders started strongly but went into the break eight points down. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Coach of the year

It’s going to be hard to beat a man who led his side to 19-straight wins, but no one would complain if Trent Robinson was named coach of the year.

The Roosters could buy two Bondi apartments with the salary cap they have on the sidelines, yet they are in fourth spot and will earn the double chance in week one of the finals if Parramatta and Manly both lose this weekend.

It’s an incredible achievement that was made harder on Thursday when inspirational prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was ruled out late. But fellow front-rower Siosiua Taukeiaho stepped up with 180 metres, while skipper James Tedesco was at his mercurial best with ball in hand.

Adam Keighran scored his second career hat-trick on Thursday night. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Miracle worker

Robinson has been trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle all year without the corner pieces, but he’s somehow found a way to make it work as the Roosters ended Canberra’s season a year after the Green Machine knocked them out of the finals.

Drew Hutchison has been outstanding in the halves in place of the injured Luke Keary, while makeshift centre Adam Keighran was brilliant as he picked up a hat-trick in the final round for the second year in a row.

Perhaps the most fitting play came when Hutchison broke through and then offloaded to set up Ben Marschke – a player who struggled to make reserve grade earlier in the season but is now in the NRL.

Originally published as NRL 2021: Sydney Roosters destroy Canberra Raiders’ finals hopes