To celebrate the three year anniversary of our Auckland Nines Championship, let's reminisce on that special weekend with a full recap of the tournament that was for the Sydney Roosters.
There was plenty to remember and celebrate from the tournament, and we're going to recap with photos, highlights, interviews and match recaps from the special two day tournament at Eden Park.
In order to tell the full story and background of the Auckland Nines, we have to go back to the Thursday (two days prior to kick off) when the Roosters landed to begin their campaign.
| NINES SQUAD |
|---|
| Aidan Guerra |
| Bernard Lewis |
| Brendan Frei |
| Chris Smith |
| Connor Watson |
| Dale Copley |
| Daniel Tupou |
| Isaac Liu |
| Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck |
| Joseph Manu |
| Kane Evans |
| Latrell Mitchell |
| Mitchell Aubusson (c) |
| Paul Carter |
| Paul Momirovski |
| Ryan Matterson |
| Victor Radley |
| Zane Tetevano |
PRE NINES
The Roosters touched down in Auckland on the Thursday afternoon with plenty of items on the agenda before a football was kicked.
Straight from the airport, the Roosters had a special treat on the agenda when they were given the chance to visit Isaac Liu's junior rugby league club, meet some fans and hear some stories about Isaac's days in Auckland.
A special afternoon was had by the squad, but it was straight back to the hotel for a team meeting, some treatment and an early night before a big second day.
The Captain was up bright and early for a media call, followed by the Auckland Nines Fan Day, then straight into the final training session to solidify their preparations.
Nines Fan Day 2017
DAY ONE
Up against the favourites of the tournament for their first match, it was a tough start for the Roosters.
They fell 15-27 against the star-studded Cowboys outfit.
There was no time to wallow though, as the boys would have another challenge that afternoon when they were set to face the Rabbitohs to close out day one.
It was a much improved performance in game two as the Roosters kept their tournament chances alive with a solide 14-7 win.
DAY TWO
The following morning would present an important challenge for the boys if they were any chance to sneak their way into the playoffs.
Ricky Stuart's Raiders were the game three opponent, and some Latrell Mitchell magic alongside a complete team performance would result in a MASSIVE win for the Roosters and a secured spot in the Quarter Finals.
The Rabbitohs and Raiders were out, the Roosters and Cowboys would advance to the Quarter Finals.
QUARTER FINALS | V BRONCOS
After missing out on the finals in the year prior, the Tricolours were hungry to compete against a Broncos side that was loaded with first grade talent.
Auckland Nines | Roosters vs Broncos
The Roosters were red hot in the first half and looked set to run away with a victory.
Tries to Chris Smith, Connor Watson and Ryan Matterson looked to seal the deal for the young Roosters, but Wayne Bennett's Broncos had other plans in mind.
Three unanswered tries to the Broncos in the second half would see the lead shrink to one point and a drop goal would be the answer to a quarter finals victory.
Jordan Kahu was unable to kick the goal before the shot clock expired and the Roosters walked away with a narrow win and a spot in the semi finals against a determined Melbourne Storm outfit.
SEMI FINALS | V STORM
Arguably the game of the tournament, the Roosters had their second biggest challenge of the Nines when they went against a Melbourne Storm side that upset the star-studded Cowboys in the Quarter Finals.
Auckland Nines - Roosters V Storm
It was a similar story to the Broncos clash as the Roosters came out on fire in the first half, looking basically unstoppable.
The opening try from Joseph Manu was on the back of a smooth Chris Smith offload, a perfect way to start a clash that would go right down to the wire.
Daniel Tupou would score a length-of-the-field try for their second of the game in the opening six minutes to take a handy early lead.
Josh Addo-Carr scored to close out the half, but Daniel Tupou raced over for his second of the game to open the second half and continue his impressive Nines form.
Back-to-back tries for the Storm at the back end of the half would see the Roosters behind with just minutes left on the clock.
The MVP of the tournament Connor Watson was not willing to call it quits yet though and would send Bernard Lewis through a gap out wide from the kick off to send him racing to the line and the Roosters to the Grand Final.
GRAND FINAL | V PANTHERS
2017 Auckland Nines Final Highlights
The final challenge of the tournament was in the final game as the Roosters would look to topple a young and exciting Panthers outfit to claim their first ever Auckland Nines title.
The Roosters sealed their first heart-stopping win of the finals series with a massive first half, followed by an impressive defensive effort in the second.
It was just a goal the difference, but the Roosters claimed their first Nines championship in what was NO DOUBT an excellent and memorable weekend for the Club.
Connor Watson was awarded the MVP of the series after an outstanding showing for the Tricolours every time he took to the field.
Captain Mitchell Aubusson was incredibly proud of his side's efforts which he expressed in the emotional interview below.
Aubusson Talks Nines After Grand Final Win
Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane, Roosters fans!
We'll look to go again when we take off to Perth next week for the return of the NRL Nines.
