SG Ball 2021: Sydney Roosters jump to top of the ladder after beating Canberra Raiders
The Sydney Roosters have catapulted to the top of the SG Ball ladder after the club’s unsung heroes hung on for a narrow victory over Canberra.
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The Sydney Roosters catapulted to the top of the SG Ball ladder after the club’s unsung heroes secured a 30-24 victory over Canberra on Saturday.
Roosters coach Mark Russell lauded the grit shown by tryscorers Corey Ross, Joshua Wong and VaialaTamati in the contest that went down to the wire.
“Ethan King was strong at fullback too,” Russell said. “All the players who don’t get a lot of accolades, they’re doing a good job for us every week.”
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The Roosters dominated the first half, piling 24 points on a stunned Raiders side that had been boosted by development player Clay Webb and NSW star Trey Mooney. But Canberra bounced back in the second half and threatened to steal the match in the final minutes.
“We were good for 20 or 30 minutes, scratchy for the rest of it ... we’re very happy with the result but they started coming at us,” Russell said.
Raiders centre Josh Billing, a rugby union convert, and halfback Sione Moala helped revive their team’s chances. Ultimately consistency and goalkicking let Canberra down after both teams scored five tries each.
“Giving up 24 points at the start of the game makes it difficult, that’s two weeks in a row we’ve given up 24 points so we have to stop that,” Raiders coach Ash Barnes said.
“Still proud of the team, they always keep it coming … even in the last set, we put ourselves in a position where we could score.
Around the grounds, Newcastle ambushed the star-studded Bulldogs to draw 26-26 at Maitland Sports Ground. If it wasn’t for Canterbury’s last-minute try via Charlie Lennon, the Knights would have pinched the win.
Balmain pulled off a big upset against South Sydney on Friday. The injury-struck Tigers showed serious ticker to beat the bunnies 36-20 at Leichhardt Oval. Balmain fullback Jayme Elias crossed twice and centre LivaiSaukuru kicked well on the day.
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Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy defeated the Raiders 26-12 at Mascot Oval. Canberra centre Makayla Morris crossed twice and made a gritty try-saving tackle. Try of the match went to Roosters forward Tymekqwa Duckett who barged over in the second half. Newcastle suffered their first defeat of the season to Canterbury 22-18. Wests Tigers ambushed Illawarra 25-10 in Wollongong.
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The Eels recorded their sixth consecutive win on Saturday, bumping off the Central Coast Roosters 28-4. Parramatta is now second on the ladder largely due to their tryscoring ability across the park. Suliasi Aho, Blaize Talagai, Tyrese Lokeni, Ethan Sanders, Joshua Alhazim and Patrick Spence all crossed for the Eels on Saturday. The Sea Eagles, Tigers, Magpies, Panthers, Bulldogs and Roosters recorded wins.
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