The Sydney Roosters delivered another stellar offensive performance, overpowering the New Zealand Warriors with a decisive 38-18 victory in their Round 10 clash in Sydney.
The win marked a memorable milestone for veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who celebrated his 300th club match in grand fashion.
At the heart of the impressive win were halves Sam Walker and Luke Keary, who tormented the Warriors with a tactical kicking game. Meanwhile, Angus Crichton maintained his excellent form, contributing significantly to the Roosters’ attack at Allianz Stadium as they notched their third consecutive win.
The Warriors, who now face the challenge of playing the Panthers in the upcoming Magic Round without star halfback Shaun Johnson due to a suspected pectoral injury, will need to regroup quickly after the defeat.
The Roosters set the pace from the outset, capitalising on a Keary charge to secure favourable field position. A slick sequence of passes to the right enabled Dominic Young to score in the corner. Young broke the line again just two minutes later, and Crichton found his way over the line after creative second-phase play to extend the lead.
An error by Edward Kosi gifted the Roosters another opportunity. Walker expertly lobbed a pass to Young on the right, bringing the score to 16-0. The scoring frenzy continued with Crichton capitalizing on a Keary grubber in the in-goal area to help the Roosters tally four tries in just 13 minutes.
The Warriors found some rhythm late in the first half. They seemed to have scored in the 36th minute when Johnson broke through the line, but the try was disallowed due to obstruction by Jackson Ford.
In the second half, the Roosters quickly rediscovered their momentum. Despite a strong defensive effort from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Walker’s cross-field kick sailed perfectly to Daniel Tupou, who crossed on the left. The Warriors responded with a Johnson pass to Kosi on the left edge to reduce the deficit to 32-6.
However, any hope of a comeback was dashed when James Tedesco scored off a pass from Joey Manu after Joseph Suaalii created space, putting the Roosters up 32-6. The Warriors showed grit by securing a repeat set and seeing fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad break through the defense to score.
Keary punctuated the match with a pinpoint grubber kick, which Walker collected for the final try. The impressive performance from the Roosters’ star halves ensured a fitting finish.
