The Sydney Roosters have been downed in a narrow contest at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, falling short 16-10 against the St George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday afternoon.
In the final round of the regular season, the Roosters fought hard against the first-placed Dragons, coming within a converted try of knocking over their opponents in a spirited performance.
John Strange's side will have to rely on other results to go their way to secure a spot in the top four finals series, but their effort against the Dragons did them no harm in what was a scrappy defensive-oriented contest.
Sarah Togatuki began proceedings for the Red, White and Blue with a strong charge from the kick-off, setting the tone for a physical clash between the two rivals.
While miscommunication saw their opponents begin their first set on halfway, a failed Captain's Challenge from the Dragons saw Easts back in possession and in the hunt.
Continuing their search for points with strong charges from Jess Sergis, Isabelle Kelly and Olivia Higgins, the Roosters came close on a number of occasions - but their momentum was halted as a penalty sent St George Illawarra downfield.
Match: Dragons v Roosters
Round 5 -
home Team
Dragons
2nd Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
A ricochet off the head of the Dragons was unfortunate as the home side regained possession with a scrum ten metres from the line, which then saw Elsie Albert cross for the first try of the match.
After ten minutes played, the Roosters trailed by four points following the unsuccessful conversion.
The Red, White and Blue were in prime position to return serve as they forced an error on halfway, but the bounce of the ball eluded Leianne Tufuga in a missed opportunity for the side.
A crusher tackle put further pressure on the defence, but another chance opened up as Brydie Parker forced an error by applying pressure in a three-on-two situation.
Captain Corban Baxter came oh so close to scoring, stopped just centimetres from the line, and while Parker looked to have scored her fourth try of the season soon after, the Bunker deemed an obstruction in the lead up in what was a cruel blow.
Not to be deterred, the Roosters fought hard in defence to prevent their opponents from furthering their lead, showing commitment on their line, and kept the blowtorch on with inspiring charges and clever kicking.
A brilliant pick up from front rower Tayla Predebon put the Tricolours on the front foot heading into the final ten minutes of the first stanza, but the frustrations continued as a dropped ball over the line marked another missed chance.
The Bondi Wall was holding up in strong fashion, forcing more errors from the Dragons in the final minutes, while a runaway Jess Sergis was cut down just metres from the line as the Roosters were denied more points to finish a scrappy first half.
It was an enthralling start to the second 35-minute period, with Tufuga swooping on a loose pass to streak 30 metres downfield, but the fifth-tackle kick handed over a seven-tackle set in a disappointing finish to the first set.
Togatuki Scores With Power and Footwork
But the Dragons would have the next say as dangerous grubber forced an error, with the momentum seeing Kody House scoring the next try, and the home side struck again just minutes later, with Emma Tonegato crossing and giving St George Illawarra a 12-nil lead - but the Roosters were far from done.
Another break from the Dragons looked ominous but a great cover tackle from Olivia Kernick forced an error from Keely Davis and swung momentum back in her side's favour - and soon enough, the Tricolours were over as Togatuki barged over the line to slam the ball down.
Zahara Temara's conversion closed the gap to just a single converted try with more than 20 minutes remaining in the contest.
Enterprising play put the Red, White and Blue back in the box-seat to level the scores, and while a lost ball over the line proved to be another missed opportunity, a heads up play from Parker cleverly forced a drop out from a Dragons' error.
Kelly Glides Through Late
A crunching textbook tackle from Hannah Southwell saw the ball pop from the Dragons' grasp, and despite their opponents looking to get back on the scoreboard, the desperation in defence from the Roosters was on show.
In a cruel twist, however, it was Madison Bartlett who scored next for the Dragons from an intercept as the home side extended their lead to ten with as many minutes remaining.
Not to be deterred, the Roosters rallied with fulltime looming, which saw Isabelle Kelly slice through to score with a minute remaining, however the final score read 16-10 in favour of the Dragons.
Sydney Roosters 10 (Sarah Togatuki, Isabelle Kelly tries; Zahara Temara goals) def by St George Illawarra Dragons 16 (Elsie Albert, Kody House, Emma Tonegato, Madison Bartlett tries; goals)
