The Sydney Roosters visited the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium for the first time since 2018, coming away with a 14-0 victory.
Easts Break Stalemate to Find First Try
After Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii kicked a penalty goal to give the Roosters an early lead, the visitors went toe-to-toe with the hosts in miserable conditions for half an hour before finding more points.
It didn’t come easy, as the Warriors dominated possession and territory, forcing Easts to put in plenty of tough defensive work while battling the monsoonal downpour, that made it difficult to hold onto ball and land important tackles.
Nat Butcher Strikes for Roosters
With points difficult to find, the Roosters mustered the courage to take a gamble at the line, with Victor Radley supplying a short pass to Nat Butcher who wrestled the ball to the ground in-goal.
Halves Take Control in Slippery Conditions
Luke Keary and Joseph Manu were tasked with steering their side to victory in troubling weather and they rose to the challenge.
Irish International Keary stamped his authority, putting the Roosters on the front foot with a pinpoint 40/20 kick just eight minutes into the match. He continued to turn the screws throughout the match, putting boot to ball 16 times, finding 486 kick metres.
Luke Keary With A Smart Kick
Manu was once again a force in attack, proving a handful for the New Zealand defence as he broke seven tackles and ran for 149 metres.
Forwards Hit Hard in Physical Battle
As the pouring ran heightened the need for ball security, it was up to the big men in the middle to stay disciplined and take control of the territorial battle.
They did exactly that, running more metres and making less errors than their counterparts.
In just 35 minutes, Matt Lodge ran 130 metres in his 12 hit ups while Lindsay Collins showed his strength making 147 run metres and breaking two tackles.
The forwards also linked up to score both tries, with Radley assisting Nat Butcher in the first half and Brandon Smith assisting Sitili Tupouniua after the break.
Tupouniua Shines in Hometown
Returning from injury last week, edge back-rower Tupouniua slotted into prop and put in an impressive 37 minutes off the bench.
Running for 89 metres from nine hit ups, the Auckland-born Rooster made 29 tackles in a comprehensive performance, remaining disciplined throughout the match.
Sensational Smith Supplies Sitili
He helped ice the win for the Red, White and Blue, pouncing on a grubber kick from Smith to score under the posts to extend his side’s lead with 20 minutes left to play.
Bondi Wall Stands Tall
The Sydney Roosters became the first team of the 2023 NRL season to hold their opposition to zero points on Sunday afternoon, accomplishing the feat against the high-flying Warriors who have averaged over 20 points per game this year.
The defensive masterclass came with its fair share of spectacular try savers, including a 51st minute effort from Joseph Manu to dislodge the ball from a barnstorming Jackson Ford close to the line.
Manu Stops Ford
Easts produced another try-saving play 20 minutes later, as Keary, Suaalii and Captain James Tedesco swarmed on a flying Dallin Watene-Zelezniak who had snagged on a Dylan Walker chip kick close to the try-line.
The Butcher Brothers were impressive in defence also, making a combined total of 110 tackles, missing zero, while lock forward Victor Radley made 43 tackles of his own.
Robinson & Keary: Round 9 Press Conference
The Roosters will aim to keep a clean sheet again next week when they face the North Queensland Cowboys in Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium.
