Rampant Roosters blow Bulldogs away to issue a warning to the Eels

Bring on Parramatta. That was the message coming out of Bankwest Stadium as the reigning champions thumped Canterbury.

Roosters fullback James Tedesco skittles the Bulldogs defence at Bankwest Stadium on Monday night. Picture: AAP

Bring on Parramatta. That was the message coming out of Bankwest Stadium on Monday night as the reigning champions thumped Canterbury 42-6.

With a James Tedesco hat-trick and a Luke Keary masterclass the standout performances in a seven-tries-to-one demolition, the Sydney Roosters set the stage for a highly anticipated showdown this Saturday with the current competition leaders.

While the Eels remain the only unbeaten team after five rounds, since the shutdown ended the Roosters have now racked up 129 points with only 18 conceded.

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It started with a 28-12 over Souths followed by the 59-0 thumping of the Broncos.

But just when you thought complacency might be their biggest danger, Tedesco’s return after missing the Broncos massacre sparked another pointscoring avalanche, while their defence under pressure was just as impressive.

Tedesco’s performance was phenomenal as he crossed for three tries for the first time since 2016, while he also had two try assists, five linebreak assists, 12 tackle busts and ran for 194m.

“He was Teddy,” said Roosters coach Trent Robinson after the match. “It was just great to watch.

“Forget about being his coach, watching him move around the park and live at a game, we get to see it.

“The camera doesn’t always get to see how he moves around and what he does. It’s just exceptional footy.

“If you look at the way his feet moves, if you look at the way he talks, you look at the way his eyes are. It’s very good footy.”

Brett Morris ran for 205m and scored a try while Angus Crichton scored a double but was placed on report for a late shot on Lachlan Lewis. Victor Radley and Boyd Cordner were again outstanding.

There’s been a stack of talk about how well the Eels are going after winning their opening five matches for the first time since 1986. But the way the Roosters are travelling right now they deserve to be rated the team to beat going into this huge clash.

While the dynasty so far has built its foundations on defence, it would be fair to say as good as they’ve been in previous years the Roosters have never looked this slick so soon in attack.

They hit the Dogs with an opening onslaught that was breathtaking.

They play so flat and fast with Keary and Tedesco never resting. If you were picking a NSW Origin team today it would be hard to go past Keary playing with Tedesco.

Last year Keary missed his chance after copping a horrible concussion in the clash against Newcastle. But the way these two are combining right now has gone to another level.

Sure, it was still very comprehensive but the Bulldogs never gave up. They had a rotten build-up after the game was delayed because of Aiden Tolman’s COVID scare that also cost them a final training run. Tolman is stuck in quarantine after a teacher at the school his child goes to tested positive for coronavirus. Tolman did not and Canterbury are trying to get him back into the side for Sunday’s game against Cronulla.

However, Bulldogs coach Dean Pay refused to use the disruption as an excuse.

“It’s just something we’ve got to handle. Who’s to say it’s not going to happen again next week?” he said.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH