Craig Cauchi reviews the Roosters victory against the Dragons. Here’s how the game went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 4th | Try Brett Morris (Roosters) | Roosters 4-0 |
| 17th | Try Jared Waerea-Hargraves (Roosters) | Roosters 8-0 |
| 19th | Goal Kyle Flannagan (Roosters) | Roosters 10-0 |
| 23rd | Try Mikaele Ravalawa (Dragons) | Roosters 10-4 |
| 26th | Try Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Roosters 10-8 |
| 28th | Goal Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Draw 10-10 |
| 40th | HALF-TIME | Draw 10-10 |
| 46th | Goal Zac Lomax (Dragons) | Dragons 12-10 |
| 50th | Try Brett Morris (Roosters) | Roosters 14-12 |
| 65th | Try Luke Keary (Roosters) | Roosters 18-12 |
| 67th | Goal Kyle Flannagan (Roosters) | Roosters 20-12 |
| 75th | Try Brett Morris (Roosters) | Roosters 24-12 |
| 77th | Goal Kyle Flannagan (Roosters) | Roosters 26-12 |
| 80th | FULL-TIME | Roosters 26-12 |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
The Roosters were awarded an early penalty and earned a repeat set. From the drop out, the Roosters worked the ball to the right then shifted back to the left for Brett Morris to slide over the line for the first try of the match. The Roosters second try was scored by Jared Waerea-Hargraves from a lovely flick pass from Joseph Manu after chasing and catching his own kick. The Dragons crossed next after another bullet like pass from Dufty landed straight on the chest of Ravalawa to put the Dragons on the board. The Roosters error put the Dragons back on the attack and this time it was a bullet pass from Dufty to Zac Lomax – running a lovely line – to cross for their second. The biggest news coming out of the half being the knee injuries to Roosters players Victor Radley and Sam Verrills.
2nd Half
The Roosters scored a length of the field try to Kyle Flannagan but was pulled back when a closer inspection found that Brett Morris – starring heavily in the play – never got behind the play-the-ball and was ruled offside. The Dragons were awarded a penalty in their attacking half and opted to take the two. The Roosters weren’t denied five minutes later, they kept the ball alive with the Dragons unable to prevent the offload, and a neat kick from Keary was gathered by Brett Morris for his second try of the match. The Roosters were given too many repeat sets and finally, Luke Keary made them pay, scoring under the posts and stepping past tired Dragons defenders. Brett Morris finished with a hattrick collecting a cross field bomb despite the two tall wingers competing for the ball next to him.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
It’s always a remarkable moment when a prop forward scores a try but usually it’s a close range effort, crashing over from a short pass but that wasn’t the case for Jared Waerea-Hargraves. The ball came to Joseph Manu on the last, who sent up a towering bomb that he chased, caught, and in the same motion flicked behind. It was the big prop forward following through to claim the ball and score the first try of his season.
SQUADS
SYDNEY ROOSTERS:ย 4. Joseph Manu 2. Daniel Tupouย 5. Brett Morris 19. Mitchell Aubusson 20. Ryan Hall 6. Luke Keary 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Jared Waerea-Hargraves 14 Sam Verrills 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radleyย 9. Jake Friend 15. Isaac Liu 17. Lindsey Collins 18. Sitili Tupouniua
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS: 1. Matthew Dufty 2. Jason Saab 3. Euan Aitken 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Adam Clune 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tyrell Fuimaono 13. Trent Merrin 14. Ben Hunt 15. Josh Kerr 17. Jackson Ford 18. Korbin Sims
