Josh Mercer reviews the Sydney Roosters’ home game against the Manly Sea Eagles at Leichhardt Oval. Here’s how the game went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 2nd | Goal Kyle Flanagan (Roosters) | Roosters 2-0 |
| 8th | Goal Reuben Garrick (Sea Eagles) | Roosters 2-2 |
| 12th | Try Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles) | Sea Eagles 6-2 |
| 28th | Try Daniel Tupou (Roosters) | Roosters 6-6 |
| 63rd | Goal Reuben Garrick (Sea Eagles) | Sea Eagles 8-6 |
| 66th | Goal Kyle Flanagan (Roosters) | Roosters 8-8 |
| 75th | Field Goal Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles) | Sea Eagles 9-8 |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
With fans watching from balconies and scaffolds, the first half saw both teams in an arm wrestle, with the first points coming through a penalty goal for the Roosters after two minutes. The Sea Eagles were able to level the game in the eighth minute through a Reuben Garrick penalty goal, then scored the first try when Daly Cherry-Evans threw an inside pass for Tom Trbojevic. The Sea Eagles’ defence was up to the task, stopping numerous attacking raids on their own try line, and Trbojevic was at his best at the back for the Sea Eagles; Trbojevic, along with centre Brad Parker, were constant thorns in the Roosters’ defence.
The Roosters were finally able to get across the try line in the 28th minute when a Luke Keary cut out pass found Daniel Tupou to go over in the corner. The Sea Eagles would go a man down when replacement forward Sean Keppie left the field with a head knock and failed his HIA.
2nd Half
The Roosters started off the second half strongly with James Tedesco making a break after some enterprising play from Victor Radley. The Sea Eagles’ defence again showed how strong they were when they held up hooker Jake Friend. The Roosters were able to find some space on the left side of the field with Brett Morris making a break before being bundled into touch by Trbojevic.
Keary looked certain to give the Roosters the lead when he received a pass from Morris after another break down the left side, however he was tackled by from behind from Trbojevic and lost the ball. Trbojevic was in top form for the Sea Eagles, once again saving a try with a tackle on Morris. Garrick put the away side ahead with a 63rd minute penalty goal. The Roosters were able to level the score in the 66th minute through a penalty goal. Parker had to leave the field for a HIA assessment and unfortunately was unable to return, leaving the Sea Eagles down to two men on the bench; up until that point Parker had troubled the Roosters’ right side defence on a number of occasions.
With both sides unable to break through, and with time ticking down, Keary set up for a field goal; the kick hit the post and into the arms of Addin Fonua-Blake. With three minutes remaining Cherry-Evans calmly slotted a field goal, giving Manly the win.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
Undoubtedly Tom Trbojevic’s tackle on Luke Keary – when Keary looked certain to score – was a highlight. The Roosters had started to find holes on the Sea Eagles’ left side and a try at that time would have possibly changed the game.
SQUADS
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Brett Morris, 4. Joey Manu, 5. Matt Ikuvalu, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Jared Waera-Hargraves, 9. Jake Friend, 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11. Angus Crichton, Mitchell Aubusson, 13. Victor Radley. Interchange: 14. Sam Verrills, 15. Isaac Liu, 17. Lindsay Collins, 19. Poasa Faamausili.
Manly Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jorge Taufua, 3. Brad Parker, 4. Moses Suli, 5. Reuben Garrick, 6. Dylan Walker, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Martin Taupau, 11. Joel Thompson, 12. Curtis Sironen, 13. Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14. Lachlan Croker, 15. Sean Keppie, 16. Morgan Boyle, 17. Haumole Olakau’atu.
