2023 NRL Round 21: Roosters 36, Titans 18

July 22, 2023

164

Sydney Roosters notched a pivotal win to keep their hopes of a top eight berth over direct competition the Gold Coast Titans at CBUS Super Stadium.

Result

Sydney Roosters 36
Tries: Egan Butcher 10th; James Tedesco 13th; Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 22nd; Lindsay Collins 28th; Nat Butcher 30th; Fletcher Baker 46th
Goals: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 4th, 12th, 14th, 29th, 32nd, 48th

Gold Coast Titans 18
Tries: Brian Kelly 65th; Chris Randall 70th Erin Clark 78th
Goals: Jayden Campbell 66th, 70th 78th

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Report

The Roosters opened the game the better of the two sides with an early Titans’ goal line dropout gifting them a penalty in front of the sticks for Joseph Suaalii to convert with just four minutes played. The Roosters continued to pile on the pressure and got some joy through Egan Butcher barging over on a lead line down the tricolours’ left edge.

Shortly after, the visitors extended their lead with Egan Butcher going through a massive gap down the left edge to put James Tedesco through on the inside to score and produce an exceptional worm situation. Suaalii followed up with an aerial grab and put down of his own off the back of a fifth tackle bomb before Lindsay Collins muscled over in the 28th minute to put the game all but out of sight for the Titans.

The points continued to flow, however, and Nat Butcher matched his brother with a try from a support line after an all too familiar clean break from James Tedesco down the right edge to stretch the lead to 30-0 after another Suaalii conversion.

Suaalii continued his bounce back to form and set up Fletcher Baker for a try after the half-time break with the Roosters’ relentless attack looking ominous at 36-0. The points dried up, however, and the Titans got a foothold in the game as the Roosters’ hit cruise control for the remainder of the half.

Albert Kelly took advantage of a desperate finish with 14 minutes to play, before AJ Brimson followed up with a consolation try of his own to bolster the Titans losing total. Erin Clark further franked the Titans intensity to barge over with just two minutes to play and make the score a more respectable 36-18 win for the visiting Roosters.