NRL SuperCoach analysis: Raiders stun Roosters with four-try second half tries
The Roosters and Raiders fought out a mid-season classic at Allianz Stadium, while there were plenty of NRL SuperCoach talking points from Sunday’s triple-header.
The Roosters and Raiders fought out a mid-season classic at Allianz Stadium on Sunday night, producing a mouthwatering, see-sawing battle that went down to the wire.
The game had everything. Pieces of individual genius from the likes of Mark Nawaqanitawase and Kaeo Weekes, rookies putting in the best performances of their careers, Origin heroes bravely backing up and one of the strangest tries ever seen.
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But in the end, it was a slashing kick return from Weekes that set up Ethan Strange for an 80 metre matchwinner, the Raiders delivering in the second half to win 26-24.
It was Canberra’s eighth win in nine matches and rockets them into second place on the ladder at the competition’s halfway mark.
Nawaqanitawase opened the scoring inside five minutes with a stunning overhead grab as he sailed past opposite Savelio Tamale. The Raiders had their first four pointer on 31 minutes when Ethan Sanders and Strange combined before getting the ball to Matt Timoko, who fed Xavier Savage.
James Tedesco scored a spectacular team try on the stroke of halftime after the Raiders were denied by the bunker seconds earlier at the other end, giving the home side a 12-4 lead at the break, despite committing nine errors and giving away too much possession.
Sanders set up the opening score of the second period with a deft kick into the in goal for Simi Sasagi to touch down. The attacking opportunity came after rookie hooker Owen Pattie skipped out of dummy half and thumped a 40/20 down the right-hand side of the field.
Tries followed to Daniel Tupou and Hudson Young as the see-sawing continued, before Joseph Tapine and Strange scored to seal the win.
Robert Toia ensured the game would go down to the dying seconds, scoring out wide to get the Roosters within two points with a minute to play but the Raiders held on.
FUTURE OF ETHANS
Raiders fans got a glimpse of the future when Ricky Stuart was forced into a late change following Jamal Fogarty’s late withdrawal with a groin strain.
That opened up the halfback role for 21-year-old Sanders to make his club debut in just his third NRL appearance, playing alongside 20-year-old five eighth Strange.
The change saw Sanders start on the left side, with Strange shifting to Fogarty’s usual position on the right, but the pair combined well in mid field several times, including in the lead up to Canberra’s opening try.
With Fogarty’s departure for Manly coming at the end of the season, the Raiders have bet the house on the prodigious pairing of Sanders and Strange to carry them into the next decade.
In a further nod to the future, Pattie played more minutes than usual in the absence of suspended starter Tom Starling and was a threat from the ruck, keeping the Roosters’ markers honest while manufacturing a crafty 40/20 and Tapine’s try off the boot.
TUPOU’S STUNNER
Veteran winger Daniel Tupou had a game to remember, punctuated by uncharacteristic back-to-back first half errors and one of the weirdest tries of his illustrious career.
Following some good lead up work from Tedesco, then Sandon and Billy Smith, Tupou sprinted 40 metres down the touchline before he looked like he’d been stopped by Xavier Savage, but the Raiders fullback slipped off the tackle, leaving Tupou lying untouched just centimetres from the tryline.
Tupou looked around for support, before seeing the referee signal play on and reaching over to score.
Commentating on Fox, Andrew Voss was stunned by the sequence of events.
“He waited until Monday to put the ball down over the line,” Voss screamed.
“I have never seen a finish to a try like that. Ever. Full stop.”
Greg Alexander joined in with the call.
“He’s done a couple of things tonight that I don’t think he’s ever done in his career and he’s 280 games into his career,” Alexander said.
“He was waiting until Ash Klein said ‘yes, you can go’. He thought he was tackled and didn’t want to give away a penalty.”
PAPA EQUALS CROKER
Gun prop Josh Papalii is one match away from becoming the Raiders’ most capped player after equalling Jason Croker’s club appearance record of 318 games.
Papalii put in his usual punishing performance coming off the bench and is set to create history next Sunday afternoon at home in Canberra against Souths.
The 33-year-old, who made his debut in the lime green in 2011, is set to finish up at the Raiders at the end of this season with speculation he may continue his storied career in the Super League.
ORIGIN WATCH
Lindsay Collins, Robert Toia and Angus Crichton all backed up from Origin I and started for the Roosters, while Hudson Young did likewise for Canberra.
Spencer Leniu and Connor Watson both dropped back to the bench prior to the game but made an impression when they came onto the field.
As usual, Corey Horsburgh was in everything for the Raiders and did his chances of a call up to Billy Slater’s Queensland squad for Origin II in Perth on June 18 no harm.
SUNDAY SUPERCOACH WRAP
METCALF A MR RELIABLE
Luke Metcalf delivered century No.3 for the season with a brilliant, all-round performance against the Bunnies. The dual position HFB | 5/8 is in 53,000 teams and continues to repay the faith of those who kept him after starting as a cash cow. His price will go up again, but with a bye in round 15, may not be a trade target.
KEAON IS KING
It can be great to zig when others zag, but when it came to Keaon Koloamatangi, there was clearly only one way to go for buyers. Thousands brought in the Bunny, and they were repaid with a monster 110, which included a try and 35 tackles. Mitch Barnett’s injury could open the door to an Origin recall, but that’s a problem for a fortnight from now.
LATRELL WORTH A LOOK?
He is as rocks and diamonds as they come in SuperCoach but Latrell Mitchell is at a decent price to consider – especially if he’s as active as he was against the Warriors. He scored a try, set up two others, and kicked five conversions. But there’s a clear downside, with Mitchell to play just three of the Rabbitohs’ next six games.
CLEARY FIRES
It was a performance that both passed the eye test, and delivered handily in SuperCoach, as Nathan Cleary led all scorers with 86. He wasn’t credited with any try assists but played a key hand in each of their efforts, didn’t miss a conversion, and came up with a massive 40/20 among a strong showing in the derby.
WILLIAMS GOES BIG
He’s a dual position forward, gets through a ton of defensive work, and doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon. And Jack Williams, who put in a 73-minute shift for the Eels on his way to a team-high 79, might find his way to a few watchlists. Sure, his price is on the way up to about $550,000 but he’s put together a decent run.
CAPTAIN RELIABLE
He was long-touted as the man to have through Origin and James Tedesco delivered. A try, try contribution, 26 points in tackle breaks and a few line breaks to boot made for an important 94, which, for some, was the difference in their head to heads. Roosters have the bye this week but he’s worth a look if you can spare the cash.
SANDON, SAVELIO AND STRANGE
Two cheapies and a bloke who should be in more teams. Sandon Smith and Savelio Tamale started out as basement bargains with big raps, and they’ve evolved into must-haves who score well, and often. Ethan Strange scored 70, aided by a try, and is averaging just under 50 to be a serious back-up option through the Origin period – especially if the Raiders keep winning.
Originally published as NRL SuperCoach analysis: Raiders stun Roosters with four-try second half tries
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