The Sydney Roosters have sunken the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26-18 in a scrappy contest on Saturday night at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Down 18-4 midway through the second half, the Roosters mounted a mighty comeback as Sam Walker wielded his magic, scoring a try and setting up two more as winger Brett Morris celebrated the victory with a double.
The match marked the Roosters' sixth victory in a row against the Sharks, as well as the fifth successive win against their opponents at the hallowed turf as they celebrated Angus Crichton's 100th NRL match in style.
It was far from an ideal start for the Red, White and Blue, though, as a Cronulla linebreak on the first set saw their opponents take advantage, with Mawene Hiroti scoring in the corner on their next set. Chad Townsend's conversion saw the Sharks take a 6-nil lead after four minutes.
Both sides continued to wrestle momentum through incisive running and enterprising play, but a forward pass in the ruck handed the Sharks possession in the Tricolours' half - with the visitors striking again through fullback Will Kennedy. With the conversion unsuccessful, the Roosters' deficit grew to ten points after twelve minutes played.
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The boys from Bondi earned a chance to hit back as a bruising tackle from Victor Radley forced an error 30 metres from the line - but an obstruction penalty invited their opponents into attacking territory once again.
Execution continued to cruel the side as a mistimed kick rolled over the dead ball line - handing their opponents a seven-tackle set - before James Tedesco was held up over the line soon after.
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But the patient Tricolours would finally reply as Morris took advantage of a right-side swing, taking a Sam Walker cut-out pass and diving over for his tenth try of the season.
Despite Siosiua Taukeiaho's sideline conversion missing, the Roosters were back in the contest with just over ten minutes left in the half.
Despite further ill-discipline cruelling the side in the form of penalties and handling errors, the only further scoring in the first half was a sole penalty goal to Cronulla as the Red, White and Blue went into the sheds down eight points.
A mammoth defensive effort from Josh Morris and centurion Angus Crichton opened up opportunities to hit back, but errors would continue after a risky cut-out pass found the floor and the Sharks would make them pay once more as a flurry of offloads found Jack Williams under the posts.
With half an hour left, Townsend's conversion saw the Roosters needing to overcome a fourteen point deficit - and they would do so in style - firstly through a slick try to Drew Hutchison, who cleverly sold a dummy close to the line to open up the defence and dive over.
Post Match with Daniel Tupou
The comeback would continue as the edge defence muscled up with another effort to force their opponents into touch, and after an attempted strip found the Roosters with more possession, a bullet-like pass from Walker saw Daniel Tupou touch down in the corner, much to the awe of the crowd.
Despite the unsuccessful conversion, the home side continued to build momentum, as they reduced their deficit to four with ten minutes left on the clock.
Next it would be Walker finding the line, hot stepping the defence with a bamboozling run to score his maiden NRL try - and with the Chookpen celebrating in jubilation, as Taukeiaho's booming went over, Roosters were now in the lead for the first time in the 73rd minute.
With momentum in full swing, Morris then bagged his double as a looping pass from the young halfback found the veteran in the corner. With a chance to seal the match, Taukeiaho continued his kicking streak to put the side up 26-18 with just three minutes left.
A penalty for a short kick-off was the final insult for Cronulla, with the Roosters completing a famous victory over their opponents at the SCG.
Sydney Roosters 26 (Brett Morris 2, Drew Hutchison, Daniel Tupou, Sam Walker tries; Siosiua Taukeiaho 3 goals) def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 18 (Mawene Hiroti, Will Kennedy, Jack Williams tries; Chad Townsend 3 goals)
Stay tuned for more from Roosters.com.au including Match Highlights, Roosters TV Post-Match Interviews and Head Coach Trent Robinson's Press Conference!
