Craig Cauchi reviews the victory for an injury depleted Roosters over a frustrated Dragons side. Here’s how the game went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 1st | Try Joseph Manu (Roosters) | Roosters 4-0 |
| 2nd | Goal Siosiua Taukeiaho (Roosters) | Roosters 6-0 |
| 13th | Try Mitchell Aubusson (Roosters) | Roosters 10-0 |
| 20th | Try Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Roosters 10-4 |
| 34th | Try Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Roosters 10-8 |
| 35th | Goal Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Draw 10-10 |
| 40th | HALF-TIME | Draw 10-10 |
| 42nd | Try Sitili Tupouniua (Roosters) | Roosters 14-10 |
| 43rd | Goal Siosiua Taukeiaho (Roosters) | Roosters 16-10 |
| 66th | Try Joseph Manu (Roosters) | Roosters 20-10 |
| 75th | Try Luke Keary (Roosters) | Roosters 24-10 |
| 80th | Try Matt Dufty (Dragons) | Roosters 24-14 |
| 80th | Goal Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Roosters 24-16 |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
The Roosters didn’t take long to score after a mistake from Tariq Sims on the first set of the match. James Tedesco was tackled centimetres from the line and from the play-the-ball, Joseph Manu went from dummy half and was too big to stop. The Roosters defended four sets on their line and when they finally got the ball back, marched down field and scored through 300-gamer Mitchell Aubusson. The Dragons continued to enjoy good field position and had to scramble some passes together to cross for their first try through Zac Lomax. The match was all locked up when Tristan Sailor’s grubber was fumbled by Ryan Hall, allowing Zac Lomax to score his second for the night.
2nd Half
The Roosters opened the scoring in the second half off the back of a lovely backline movement that exposed the edge defence of the Dragons. Ryan Hall threw the ball in field and Sitili Tupouniua scooped up the loose ball to return the Roosters to the lead. Tupouniua looked certain to score a second but desperate Dragons defence held him up over the line. Joseph Manu scored his second try of the match after the Dragons allowed a fifth tackle kick to bounce straight into the hands of James Tedesco. A few simple passes and the winger strolled over. The standout of the match was Luke Keary who finished the match with a try. But the Dragons crossed for a consolation try with Matt Dufty scoring on the siren.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
The highlight of the match belongs to Mitch Aubusson. He has been the backbone of the Roosters club and a player who deserves to join an illustrious group of 300 gamers. With no.12 on his back, and playing in the centres, he’ll remember the night, not just for the win, but for the try he scored.
SQUADS
St George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Matthew Dufty 2. Jordan Pereira 3. Euan Aitken 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Clune 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Cameron McInnes 15. Josh Kerr 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. Jackson Ford 14. Tristan Sailor 16. Trent Merrin 17. Tyrell Fuimaono 21. Kaide Ellis
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Ryan Hall 12. Mitchell Aubusson 4. Joseph Manu 5. Matt Ikuvalu 6. Luke Keary 7. Lachlan Lam 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 9. Jake Friend 17. Lindsay Collins 11. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Nat Butcher 13. Isaac Liu 14. Drew Hutchison 15. Poasa Faamausili 18. Daniel Fifita 20. Max Bailey
