A see-sawing contest in Toowoomba has seen the Sydney Roosters claim a 40-22 victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons in an eventful contest in Round 23.
In the Club's second ever game in Toowoomba, the Tricolours overcame an 18-14 deficit to create history by breaking the six-game winning streak made between 1933-1936 to claim their seventh consecutive streak against any Dragons side.
Rookie Egan Butcher scored his maiden try in the NRL, while Daniel Tupou claimed a hat-trick as the Roosters ran in 40 points for the first time since Round 12 in a dominant display.
Match: Dragons v Roosters
Round 23 -
home Team
Dragons
12th Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Toowoomba Sports Ground, Toowoomba
On a sunkissed track with the stands brimming with Red, White and Blue, the Roosters began proceedings with early ascendency as five-eighth Drew Hutchison troubled the Dragons with a brace of dangerous kicks.
Quicks hands sent Dale Copley and Adam Keighran on their way to the line, with both falling just inches short before Isaac Liu was stripped of possession on his way to the ground as both sides endured a frustrating ten minute period of missed opportunities.
Tedesco Puts Egan Over for his First Try
But it wouldn't be long before the Roosters got on the board, with an offload in traffic from Jared Waerea-Hargreaves finding Siosiua Taukeiaho, who put Tedesco through with an inside pass - and the custodian sent rookie Egan Butcher over for his maiden NRL try under the posts to cap off a strong start to the match.
The momentum continued as deputising halfback Lachlan Lam showed his skills with a show and go to break through for a 45-metre dash, and Copley got his name on the board following a Tedesco cut-out pass as the Roosters claimed a 10-nil lead after Siosiua Taukeiaho converted the opening try.
The trajectory of the Steeden continued to trouble both sides as a range of kicks and offloads dictated a scrappy period of the match, with desperation in defence on show at either end of the field.
Tedesco Delivers For Copley
A scrum at halfway following a frantic period from both sides gave Easts an opportunity to extend their lead, and after a line drop out from Tedesco, it was a left-side shift that saw makeshift centre Sitili Tupouniua diving over for his twelfth try of the season, with the Roosters now 14-nil up.
Despite a handy lead, the Tricolours found themselves with plenty of work to do on the goal line as the Dragons looked to reply in the shadows of halftime, and an inconclusive Captain's Challenge gave their opponents a chance to strike.
A herculean effort from the Roosters couldn't prevent the Dragons from diving over, with the scoreboard at Clive Berghofer Stadium reading 14-6 at the break.
Tupouniua Extends His Tryscoring Streak
It was a far from ideal start to the second half for the Roosters as possession was lost in their own half followed by a penalty, and the scoreline closed again as Mikaele Ravalawa scored in the corner for the Dragons.
Young rookie Fletcher Baker diffused an offload and dived on a loose ball, and although the Roosters found themselves back in the red zone, a wayward kick handed St George Illawarra a quick tap saw which saw them score their third consecutive try - and now holding the lead for the first time.
Walker Juggles and Tupou Scores
A successful Captain's Challenge for a two-on-one strip went the way of the Tricolours, and a short side raid from Sam Walker saw the nineteen-year-old miraculously juggle the ball before putting Tupou over in the corner to regain the lead heading into the final quarter of the contest.
Now with the momentum, the flying winger claimed his double after soaring above to claim a towering fifth-tackle kick as Taukeiaho's conversion gave the side an eight-point lead, with Easts ready to continue their charge.
Tupou Claims his Double in the Air
After punching holes in the opposition defence through the likes of Egan Butcher and Isaac Liu, the Red, White and Blue rolled downfield once again and a sidestepping Walker dived over to continue their streak of four-pointers.
Drew Hutchison looked to emulate his halfback with a similarly sidestepping effort to reach the tryline, and with less than ten minutes remaining, his side claimed a 20-point lead following Taukeiaho's fourth conversion.
Despite conceding a late consolation try to their opponents, the Tricolours celebrated their triumph as Daniel Tupou claimed his hat-trick, diving over in the corner as the siren blared to cap off a dominant 40-22 performance.
Tupou Scores his Hat-Trick as the Siren Sounds
Sydney Roosters 40 (Daniel Tupou 3, Egan Butcher, Dale Copley, Sitili Tupouniua, Sam Walker, Drew Hutchison tries; Siosiua Taukeiaho 4 goals) def St George Illawarra Dragons 22 (Josh McGuire, Mikaele Ravalawa, Mathew Feagai, Jayden Sullivan tries; Zac Lomax 3 goals)
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