Isaac Liu’s transition from bench warmer to Bronco tamer no surprise for Roosters

THE opening 20 minutes of the qualifying final between the Roosters and the Broncos was dominated by a hulking forward, but not the one you might expect.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — SEPTEMBER 08: Alex Glenn of the Broncos tackles Isaac Liu of the Roosters during the NRL Qualifying Final match between the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos at Allianz Stadium on September 8, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

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YOU can’t really say it was an ambush — the Roosters warned them.

The Roosters nearly took the first qualifying final away from the Broncos with a series of power running early in the match, dominating the middle third by bringing the fireworks Jake Friend said would be coming.

But what was a surprise was just who was leading the way — it wasn’t Dylan Napa or Jared Waerea-Hargreaves or Boyd Cordner, although they all played their part and had moments to remember.

The opening 20 minutes of the match belonged to Isaac Liu.

Isaac Liu busts through a tackle by Alex Glenn of the Broncos.

Liu has been a bench forward for much of his career with limited starts, but he tore into the Broncos with single-minded fury and showed nifty footwork that few knew he had to nearly slam down the opening try.

The 26-year olds role in Friday’s win might have surprised some, but not Cordner and coach Trent Robinson.

“He’s been in that form for probably a couple of months now,” Robinson said after the match.

“He’s been starting really well — it’s hard to keep Siua out of a starting spot but Ice has.

“Boyd and I sort of chatted about him at the start of the week and we both got the chance to talk to him about how well he’s been going.

“I tell him that but Boyd, as captain, told him what he means to our team — and he delivered again with a really important start to our game.”

Isaac Liu loses the ball over the line.

Liu told The Daily Telegraph the chats centred on the Samoan international’s growing confidence, which has been steadily rising since he was elevated to lock forward in Round 18.

“They were just saying how my form has been going, that it’s been really good, and in each game I’ve started to gain more confidence, building my game, every time I’m out there.

“With the forward pack we’ve got, we’re all close and we all work for each other.

“The connection (between the forwards), you’ve got to stay connected with every one in the team and work hard for each other.”

As strong as their opening 20 minutes was, as has been the case too often this season the Roosters went off the boil and let Brisbane back into the match.

An awful gaffe from Blake Ferguson led to a try to Corey Oates with less than 10 minutes remaining an unlikely Brisbane win seemed in the offing.

Robinson believes the individual efforts in key moments can help make up for the flat periods the Roosters seem to go through — and the Tricolours leant on those efforts to grab Latrell Mitchell’s late winner, particularly when it came to their powerful running in the middle third.

It was a return to that type of football, even if it was just for five minutes that paved the way to their victory.

“Like Robbo said, those small moments can count. It brings character out of some of the boys, to step up, which is really good,” Liu said.

“That’s a big part of our game — run strong, power play, combos. Get back to a good defensive set, playing combos and running hard.”

So the next time the Roosters take the field — in two weeks time for a preliminary final — don’t act surprised if Liu stars early on again.

After all, Jake Friend will tell you he’s coming.

Originally published as Isaac Liu’s transition from bench warmer to Bronco tamer no surprise for Roosters