When East and West collide, you can bet there will be plenty of fireworks, and when it comes to the Sydney Roosters vs Wests Tigers, there have been plenty of memorable victories against our cross-town rivals, so here are Five of the Best.
Ryan Crosses for Three: Round 16, 2004
En route to the Minor Premiership, the high-flying Tricolours travelled to Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Round 16 of the 2004 season sitting at first place on the competition table.
Now halfway through the regular season, the Brad Fittler-led Roosters put their opponents to the sword in front of a then-record crowd of 18,669, leading 40-nil at halftime with seven tries on the board, with five of those in a 13-minute blitz.
Both Ryan Cross and Brett Finch both finished with hat-tricks, while backrower Craig Fitzgibbon kicked seven goals in what remains as the Club's biggest win over the Wests Tigers.
Referee Tim Mander - overheard on Sports Ears - summed up the match by saying to one of his fellow referees, "Mate, it's one of those games."
Triple Doubles Trounce Tigers: Round 23, 2013
Three Roosters scored doubles in this big win against the Wests Tigers nearly a decade later, while James Maloney kicked his way to a 20-point haul with ten goals to his name.
With Sonny Bill Williams returning from suspension, the ladder-leading Roosters shot out of the blocks with Jake Friend darting from dummy-half to open the scores after just three minutes.
Roosters v Tigers (HIGHLIGHTS)
While the Tigers hit back with a try of their own, it was SBW who would put Easts back in the lead with a barging try, with a penalty goal to Maloney putting the Red, White and Blue ahead 14-6 at the break.
But the floodgates would open in the second half, with Daniel Mortimer going over for a quick-fire double, while Michael Jennings and Mitchell Pearce joining him as dual try-scorers with Pearce celebrating his 150th NRL match in style.
Fergo Fires at Fullback: Round 13, 2018
In contrast to the last two matches, this one was a tightly-fought affair at the Sydney Football Stadium in 2018.
With Origin selections for James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Boyd Cordner seeing a number of new faces in the lineup - including winger Matt Ikuvalu on debut - the Roosters came up against a tough Tigers outfit midway through the season.
A number of close misses for both teams in the first half-hour summed up the desperation of the match, but the Tricolours would strike first as a break by deputising fullback Blake Ferguson allowed Cooper Cronk to strike a cross-field kick to Daniel Tupou, scoring before the break.
Leading 10-2 with both sides opting for penalty goals, Ferguson was at it again with a quarter of the match left, bursting through the line and throwing a one-handed offload to his winger, but the Tigers struck back with two tries of their own to bring the difference to just two points with minutes remaining.
Highlights | Roosters v Wests Tigers
Defending their line in the shadows of full-time, the Bondi Wall stuck strong as Tupou proved his tackling credentials, rolling over his opposite Corey Thompson over the sideline as he dived over to score, preventing what would have been a certain try.
Firing one last shot with the siren blaring in the background, the Tigers looked to go over once more, but Ferguson would replicate his wingers' defensive prowess, barging over Mahe Fonua to take the ball out of play and cap off a memorable 16-14 win with a frantic finish.
Morris Bros Double Up: Round 15, 2020
Coming off a tough loss to the Melbourne Storm at the SCG, the Roosters were looking to get back to their winning ways against a Wests Tigers outfit at their home of Leichhardt Oval.
The Red, White and Blue were quick to stake their claim with Matt Ikuvalu touching down in the corner after eight minutes, while a great offload from Joseph Manu put Brett Morris over on the other wing for an early lead.
The points would continue to stream as a clean break from Sitili Tupouniua put Josh Morris over, and the Roosters would find themselves up 20-nil at half-time thanks to another four-pointer to Brett Morris.
Match Highlights | Wests Tigers v Roosters
The Wests Tigers would mount a short-lived fightback with two tries of their own, but the class of the Roosters would shine through as a well-timed offload from Siosiua Taukeiaho put Drew Hutchison over for a definitive four-pointer.
Manu would add his name to the scoresheet, while Josh Morris would join his brother for his double as the Roosters ran away with a 38-16 win.
THAT Finals Win: Qualifying Final, 2010
You know we had to add this one in.
As the Roosters continued their rebuild from a horror season in 2009, the Tricolours found themselves back in the finals the following year, coming up against a red-hot Wests Tigers side in the first qualifying final at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Drama would kick-off just five minutes into the contest, as the Tigers thought they were in to score, only for Dally M Medallist Todd Carney to make a miraculous tackle on hulking Englishman Gareth Ellis, dislodging the ball before he could touch down.
A scuffle in the ruck between Mitchell Pearce and Benji Marshall saw the two halves come together in a fiery clash, setting the tone for the rest of the match as Ellis was once again denied soon after.
It was third-time unlucky for the Tigers as desperation from Anthony Minichiello held Blake Ayshford up, but sheer weight of possession would see Lote Tuqiri and Beau Ryan go over as the Roosters trailed 2-10 at half-time.
Just as the Tricolours looked to make their mark early in the second stanza with a try of their own, their opponents extended their lead as Ayshford took a long-range intercept, and with a Robbie Farah field goal extending the scores to 15-2 with just half an hour remaining, things were looking bleak for the Roosters.
Hope was not gone yet, however, as Carney would inject himself into the contest, regathering a chip and chase to put captain Braith Anasta over with just over a quarter of the match left, much to the relief of the Chookpen.
Carney and Anasta combined again soon after to put Anthony Minichiello over, only for the fullback to have the ball dislodged from his grasp with millimetres to spare. But the five-eighth would continue his rich vein of form, going through a yawning gap and putting his halves partner Mitchell Pearce over in the final few minutes of regulation time.
Finals Week One, 2020 Highlights: Roosters vs Tigers
The controversy peaked in the shadows of fulltime, with a dubious shot from Simon Dwyer on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves all but sealing the win for their opponents as a sense of dread filled the Red, White and Blue faithful in the stands.
But in typical Roosters fashion, the side's never-say-die attitude shone in the final minutes, with a miraculous scrum win breathing life into the team and giving them one last shot.
The heroics weren't over yet though, as the Roosters scrambled to level the scores, with a short-side raid cut off as Minichiello swung the ball back to Anasta, who put the match into Golden Point with a booming 30-metre field goal, sending the Sydney Football Stadium stands into raptures.
Both sides continued to go back and forth in extra time, as two missed field goals each failed to ice the match, and just as the crowd thought they had seen everything possible, the 100-minute spectacle concluded as Shaun Kenny-Dowall raced onto an intercept, running 75 metres downfield to touch down in the corner and seal one of the most memorable victories in Club history.
More from Roosters.com.au
