With both sides coming off massive wins from last week, the Roosters looked to extend their six-game winning streak as they headed down to AAMI Park to take on the Melbourne Storm.
Bench Boosted by Big Returns
With Siosiua Taukeiaho and Lindsay Collins re-joining the line-up, the men from Bondi had plenty of firepower coming off the bench.
Taukeiaho put in an impressive 47 minutes of work, running for almost 120 metres and making 28 tackles, with only one miss.
Collins had a huge night, making 80 metres, a line break and eighteen tackles, and it was his quick play-the-ball speed and try-saving play to ground the ball in the in-goal before Jahrome Hughes that kept Easts in the game.
Match: Storm v Roosters
Round 24 -
home Team
Storm
4th Position
away Team
Roosters
6th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Joseph Duo Hold Down the Wings
After taking two tough hit ups early in the game and crossing for the first try, veteran winger Daniel Tupou was taken from the field after just thirteen minutes.
This caused the Red, White and Blue to reshuffle their backline, shifting Joseph Manu to the right wing and switching Joseph Suaalii from the right to the left wing and the pair fielded two contested bombs each as well as both scoring a try of their own in the tight victory.
Offload, Pass, Kick, Try!
Manu had yet another incredible performance, amassing 165 run metres from 21 runs – the most of any player from either side. He also broke nine tackles and offloaded the ball four times.
The 19-year-old Suaalii had his own night to remember, notching up his eighteenth-straight game this season with over 100 running metres, with a total of 125, as well as breaking three tackles as he stood in on the left edge for Tupou.
Phenomenal Defence Weathers the Storm
With only five tries scored between the two sides, defence reigned supreme in Easts’ hard-fought win.
After saving a Justin Olam try early in the contest, Captain James Tedesco proved why he is the league’s most coveted fullback with a near-impossible stop on Kenneath Bromwich in the 76th minute, positioning both his body and arm underneath the ball to protect his side’s skinny lead.
Tedesco Desperation Denies Olam
After saving a certain try with an unbelievable bootlace tackle on Ken Bromwich in the 53rd minute, young star Sam Walker continued his defensive efforts by tracking down a runaway Munster on the end of a 45-metre Melbourne line break.
It didn’t end there for the halfback, making first contact on a barnstorming Asofa-Solomona just a few metres out from the try line with only eight minutes left to play.
Lindsay Collins sliced himself a piece of the try-saving pie, beating Jahrome Hughes to his own grubber kick in the in-goal to keep the game tilted in the Roosters’ favour.
Tedesco Determination Wins the Match
Having defended six-straight sets on their line late in the contest, the Men from Bondi showed glimpses of their back-to-back Premiership side of 2018 and 2019, when they were the first and second-best defensive team in the competition respectively.
Engine Room on Fire in Massive Middle-Third Effort
Whilst all three of their tries were scored on the wing, it was the Roosters’ forward pack which won the battle in the middle to lay the platform out for the victory.
Backing up after his historic four-try haul last week, Nat Butcher made a whopping 38 tackles in his 100th game in the NRL, all of which have been played for the Tricolours.
Radley Puts on a Trademark Hit on Olam
A total of five forwards racked up over 100 running metres including Siosiua Taukeiaho, Victor Radley, Angus Crichton, Matthew Lodge and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who set the tone for his pack in the fierce encounter.
In just his seventh game for the Club, Lodge notched up 144 metres from 16 runs in just 44 minutes, as well as making 23 tackles during his two stints on the field.
Sparks Fly in Star-Studded Clash
As is expected when the two most dominant Clubs of the last decade face off in a high-stakes game of football, tensions rose early in the match.
Proceedings began to heat up in the seventeenth minute when the Roosters looked to play the ball after a successful Captain’s Challenge, before the sides came together in disagreement at the ruck.
Robinson & Tedesco | Round 24 Press Conference
Emo looked to boil over again moments later when colossal forwards Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Nelson Asofa Solomona clashed, and although an intervention from the referee looked to settle, the very next set saw the Kiwis come together once more.
The Tricolours overcame a hostile reception from the AAMI Park crowd throughout the remainder of the match, holding off their opponents’ late charge and sealing a famous win in the shadows of fulltime.
