Roosters smash Titans 58-6 to set up blockbuster Raiders clash

While the Titans are dishing out more than $1 million a season on Ash Taylor, the bang for their buck the Roosters are getting out of Cooper Cronk just goes to show what true value for money is.

Roosters star Cooper Cronk showed the way for the Titans. Picture: AAP

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If Ash Taylor is looking for inspiration to reinvent his career, he was given the ultimate lesson in professionalism on the same day the troubled Gold Coast playmaker returned to the NRL.

Because on an afternoon where the Sydney Roosters racked up the club’s biggest ever win at the famous old Sydney Cricket Ground, it was a couple of effort plays from 35-year-old legend Cooper Cronk that really put the exclamation point on what this Roosters football team stands for.

One led to Cronk celebrating his 100th NRL try when he backed up on the inside and was rewarded for his effort.

And the other was when Cronk saved a try after a ball bounced awkwardly for James Tedesco but Cronk’s never-say-die attitude prevented the Titans from scoring.

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Roosters star Cooper Cronk showed the way for the Titans. Picture: AAP

While one try either way might not have made a huge difference to the overall scoreline, it said everything about the difference in these respective teams.

Opposition fans like to bag the Roosters about their so-called salary cap sombrero.

Yet while the Titans are dishing out more than a $1 million a season on Taylor, the bang for their buck the Roosters are getting out of Cronk just goes to show what true value for money is.

James Tedesco was on fire for the Roosters. Picture: Getty Images

“In his 350-odd games it is his 100th try but there is more than 100 try saves from him because of effort,” Trent Robinson said about Cronk.

“Not because of speed or some innate ability to see what is going to happen ahead of time. He just keeps moving.

“And I think people want Cooper Cronks in their club and we are fortunate to have him at the end. But it is about the effort he will make all the time.”

ROOSTERS READY FOR RAIDERS

It was a 10 tries to one 58-6 humiliation that set up what’s sure to be a cracking top four showdown with Ricky Stuart’s Raiders in Canberra this Sunday.

With close to $3 million of talent sidelined in the shape of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Siosiua Taukeiaho and Ryan Hall, the Roosters didn’t look like missing a beat.

They’d racked up five tries before half-time that included a Brett Morris hat-trick to secure the 32-year-old’s 150th career try.

Brett Morris bagged a hat-trick of tries for the Roosters. Picture: AAP

And just as pleasing for Robinson was that they didn’t switch off in the second half, with rookie Sam Verrills fighting his way over for his first NRL try in the final minute.

James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell also finished with doubles (Mitchell also landed nine of 10 conversions) and Daniel Tupou also touched down, while Cronk, Luke Keary, Victor Radley and Tedesco combined brilliantly throughout.

Robinson would not to buy into the build up ahead of the Raiders clash. But one thing the performance couldn’t hide was that the reigning premiers are warming to this challenge of defending their title.

Cooper Cronk congratulates Sam Verrills on a try for the Roosters as Titans players look on. Picture: Getty Images

TITANS HUMILIATED

On a week the Titans announced Justin Holbrook would take over the troubled club, stand in coach Craig Hodges declared: “We didn’t try hard enough today and there is probably not a worse thing you can say to your football team.”

From pretty much the opening whistle it was obvious the Titans just hadn’t turned up and they got what they deserved. The question now is if they have the character to fight back.

“There is two ways you go when you are in this type of situation,” Hodges said.

“We can either sit down and ring the bell and just turn up and deliver that for the next four or five weeks.

“Or we can decide what we want to be individually. And what they get out of the next few weeks will be what they take through their careers.”

SYDNEY ROOSTERS 58 (B Morris 3 L Mitchell 2 J Tedesco 2 C Cronk D Tupou S Verrills tries L Mitchell 9 goals) bt GOLD COAST 6 (R Jacks try A Taylor goal) at Sydney Cricket Ground. Referee: Peter Gough, Liam Kennedy. Crowd: 9,763