The Sydney Roosters looked to add to their perfect Magic Round record when they took on the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Backs Put in Hard Yards
Faced with torrential rain, the Roosters’ back five were forced to take plenty of tough carries out of their own end.
They were up for the challenge, running hard and keeping the ball secure with four of their back five amassing well over 100 metres each.
Captain James Tedesco persevered from the back, tallying up a hard-fought 236 run metres, making 66 of those after contact.
Forwards Defend In Poor Conditions
As the rain continued to pour on Suncorp, the forward pack were tasked with protecting possession and sticking their tackles.
They were clearly up for the challenge, with three of their starting forwards making over 40 tackles, including Nat Butcher who made a whopping 51. They valued ball security as well, only committing four errors between all six of their starting forwards.
Running just as hard as they defended, Victor Radley covered over 100 metres with the ball. While front rowers Matt Lodge and Lindsay Collins put in plenty of work, both making more than 90 metres in attack.
Billy Smith Returns in Style
Billy Smith returned to the NRL after recovering from an ACL injury, putting in a strong 80-minute performance in the centres.
He proved a handful for the Cowboys defenders, running for 169 metres and breaking eight tackles, the most of any player on-field.
Smith also stepped up defensively, completing 24 tackles in his first game back to receive the fan-voted City Index Player of the Match award.
Crichton Finds Extended Minutes
In his third NRL match for the season, Angus Crichton slotted into the second-row when starting Egan Butcher was forced from the field.
The Australian Kangaroos representative rose to the occasion to put in an effective 67 minutes of work off the bench, packing plenty of punch at both ends of the field.
As well as making 19 tackles, Crichton covered over 100 metres from 14 hit ups, busting out of four tackles in the process and offloading the ball on two occasions.
He also found a late try for his side, charging onto a pass from Luke Keary and crashing over the try line.
Easts Claim Late Points
Despite struggling to find points during the match, the men from Bondi persevered to bag a try in the final minute.
Crichton Crosses in the Final Minute
With the ball on the left side of the field, halfback Luke Keary played Angus Crichton into a gap in the defensive line to open the Red, White and Blue’s account.
They looked likely to strike again after the kick off, as a daring kick from Keary fell into the path of Corey Allan but unfortunately failed to bounce up for him.
Robinson & Tedesco: Round 10 Press Conference
The Roosters will need to bounce back strong next week when they travel to Penrith to take on the reigning premiers on Friday night.
