NRL 2021: Sydney Roosters win 35-34 over Gold Coast Titans | Match Report
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has launched a blistering post-match tirade about the NRL’s inconsistent high-shot crackdown.
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Roosters coach Trent Robinson has hit out at players being put in a position by officials where they are disadvantaged for getting to their feet after a high shot but rewarded for staying on the ground.
It was words spoken by referee Ben Cummins in the Roosters 35-34 win over the Titans on the Gold Coast that got under Robinson’s skin.
In the first half Titans forwards Kevin Proctor was put on report and penalised for a high shot on Roosters fullback Joey Manu. Manu stood up quickly and Robinson said he heard referee Ben Cummins explain to the players that Manu had got to his feet.
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There was no sin bin for Proctor, whereas Roosters hooker Ben Marschke was sin-binned in the second half for an elbow to the head of Jamal Fogarty.
Roosters lock Isaac Liu was also put on report for a dangerous tackle on Tino Fa’asuamaleaui which appeared innocuous, after the Maroons forward grabbed at the back of his head.
“The issue I have is a head high [on Manu] that would have been sent to the bin two weeks ago, but we don’t want our players to lie down. Then the commentating around it from referees is ‘they have stood up [so] I am OK with that’,” Robinson fired.
“Players aren’t going to lie down. They are going to get up and get on with it. They are going to jump up, for the most part.
“That was a silly challenge from Benny, and he got 10 minutes in the bin, but the one on Joey Manu … the NRL has put it back on this gamesmanship or the gentlemen’s agreement. I can’t believe I heard that [from the referee] out there.”
Robinson said the placement of Liu on report was “ridiculous”.
“How do they put that on report? Come on,” he said.
“It looks like they have a bit to work out. It has been calibrated a bit but we are still not seeing the way that we want to play the game.
“They basically want players to lie down and grab their neck to put [the defender] on report or to the bin.
“If the difference is their communication that ‘they got up’ or ‘[they] stayed down’ then they are saying to our players to lie down. That is unacceptable from our game.”
MIRACLE MOMENT FROM ROOKIE ROOSTER
Roosters sensation Sam Walker returned from a shoulder injury to land a match winning field goal and give the Roosters a stunning 35-34 win over the Titans.
There was carnage on more than the scoreboard with five players put on report and Maroons stars David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui both leaving the field for HIA assessments early in the second half.
Roosters hooker Ben Marschke was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes in the second-half when ruled to have collected Jamal Fogarty with an elbow as the Titans roared back into the match with an extra man.
Walker, who had set up two tries and scored one himself, left the field in the 47th minute after being dumped on the point of his shoulder with the Roosters leading 24-4.
Joseph Manu scored soon afterwards and at 30-4 the Roosters looked home and hosed. Fogarty then snuck away to score from a quick tap, Tyrone Peachey crashed over and Fogarty, with a new lease of life, sent Brian Kelly over to set up a grandstand finish. Fa’asuamaleaui then tore through to collect an Ash Taylor pass and the Titans had scored four tries in 11 minutes.
When Fogarty kicked through for Proctor to score and put the Titans ahead 34-30 the stadium erupted.
Manu then put Matt Ikuvalu over and Walker, who had returned from injury, missed the conversion from the sideline.
He then provided the magic with just over one minute on the clock, landing the match winning field goal with aplomb after spending the majority of the second half pacing the sideline.
“I missed the one from the sideline so I thought I’d just make up for it,” Walker told Fox Sports after the siren.
“After missing the first shot at winning the game so I thought that I better nail the next one.
“I practise [field goals] a lot at training and felt really comfortable. When we got down there I said ‘I want the ball’.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said it was a “great way to finish the game” and a tribute to Walker’s composure.
“You can see the guys that want the ball in the difficult moments and Sam has always proven to be that guy,” he said.
“ It was a pretty easy decision with the shoulder to bide our time and hold on defensively but we couldn’t.
“Sammy gets out there and knocks over his first ever field goal over. It was a nice way to finish for him.”
Robinson had a great anecdote to describe why Walker did not let his conversion miss bother him. He forgot it soon enough.
“Gus [Gould] always says that amnesia is a really important part of our game for our top players. They want the ball. It was a real positive for Sam,” Robinson said.
In the sheds the Ipswich-raised Walker also revealed how remarkable his one-pointer was.
“That was my first attempt, in any game. That was the first one I have kicked. It was an awesome feeling when it went through,” he said.
“You dream about that as a young fella, and as a halfback I think you have to take those shots.
“To come back to Queensland and do it in front of my family and friends was huge.”
TITANS AWAKE
The Gold Coast suffered from lack of punch in the middle in the first half and poor final play options with Ash Taylor and Jamal Fogarty once again unable to ice multiple try scoring chances in the opening stanza. That all turned in the second stanza with Fogarty taking control and Taylor rediscovering his mojo in a complete reversal of the first half lethargy. Coach Justin Holbrook would have been having heart palpitations watching his side’s Jekyll and Hyde displays of late. The character of the Titans to fight back showcased the character Holbrook has inculcated into his side and also their ability to play razzle dazzle football of the highest quality.
The Titans, while leading 34-30, were on the verge of the equal biggest comeback in NRL history and replicating the Cowboys turnaround in 1998 when they came back from 26-nil to beat the Panthers 36-28.
“It is disappointing that we couldn’t win the game,” Holbrook said.
“We’ve got to turn those close ones into wins because we all know we need them.”
RED HOT ROOKIES
Walker and Suaalii showed again why they are going to have long and successful careers in the NRL with highly influential performances. Captain James Tedesco was ruled out with a hip pointer injury on game day after aggravating it during NSW’s win over Queensland on Wednesday night.
That gave rookie Joseph Suaalii another chance in the top grade in the centres. Suaalii’s rampaging run from a scrum to set up the Roosters opening try to Matt Ikuvalu showcased another dimension to his skillet while Walker revealed that he is a quick learner along with being a freakish talent. Walker’s default money ball play this year has mostly been the long ball but he fooled the Titans defence with a beautifully disguised short pass to send Crichton away. The long ball has worked a treat for Walker this year and he notched his 15th try assist for the season with another pearler for Tupou to finish in style. The 18-year-old continued on his merry way in the second half, backing up Lachlan Lam to score straight after the break. His match winning field goal, after leaving the field with injury showcased his class and toughness in emphatic fashion.
WARHORSE JARED
Roosters warrior Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was a tower of power and passion in his 250th top grade game. The three-time premiership winner had already clocked 104m by halftime from 10 rampaging runs and put his body on the line to save two tries when Jayden Campbell and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui seemed certain to score. When Siosiua Taukeiaho was ruled out with injury on match eve the Roosters needed their spiritual leader to step up, and he did big time.
“That was an incredible game from Jared,” Robinson said of his prop’s 80-minute display.
“He led the whole team. He dominated the game, whenever he had the ball and the way he defended and saved tries.”
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Originally published as NRL 2021: Sydney Roosters win 35-34 over Gold Coast Titans | Match Report
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