The Sydney Roosters hosted the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Round 23 as they celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their 2013 Grand Final victory.
History Repeats
Just seven days after topping the all-time try-scoring list for the Club, Daniel Tupou wrote his name in Roosters’ folklore once again when he scored an almost identical try to his one in the 2013 Grand Final.
With Easts looking for their first points of the match, just as they were 10 years ago, Luke Keary sent a bomb up towards Tupou’s corner and he managed to leap over opposing winger Jason Saab to open the scoring for his side.
Fellow winger Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii converted the try from the sideline to put the Tricolours up by four.
Siua Starts
In just his fourth first grade game, Siua Wong earned a starting role in the second row and let nobody down on the field.
His impact was almost instant, with a huge fend on Brad Parker and a fast play-the ball giving Joseph Manu enough time and space to scoot out of dummy half and crash over for the home side’s second try.
Having done his due diligence in defence with a whopping 55 tackles and just three misses, Wong looked to add to his attacking resumé as well when he crashed over the line in the 61st minute, only to have the try overruled by the Bunker.
Stellar Defence
After falling behind by two due to a penalty goal, the Roosters were faced with a defensive challenge as Manly pressed their line once again.
James Tedesco produced a spectacular one-on-one tackle on a runaway Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega, potentially saving a try but giving away a set restart.
A few plays later, Haumole Olakau’atu looked as if he found a gap in the Roosters’ defence, but Keary produced a textbook tackle on a much bigger man to bring the back rower to the ground.
Receiving another set restart, Manly continued to shift the ball around in search of their first try, but a perfect read from Manu saw him race up out of the line and clobber Parker, shutting the play down.
Aerial Warfare on the Wing
Dubbed by commentator Warren Smith to be like a battle between legendary NBA centres Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, the aerial battle between two-metre-tall wingers Daniel Tupou and Jason Saab was one for the ages.
Tupou established his dominance from the get-go, snatching a bomb away from Saab 20 minutes into the contest to open the scoring for the Red, White, and Blue.
The battle continued into the second half, as Daly Cherry-Evans asked questions of the wingers with a high ball to the corner. They took flight, with neither being able to grab a hold of the ball and Saab knocking it on in the in-goal.
The war raged into the final moments of the game, as Cherry-Evans put up a cross-field bomb in hopes of clawing back an 18-point deficit with 10 minutes to go, but it was Tupou who put his body on the line to come down with the football.
Easts See Through Half-Time Lead
Having held a scoreboard advantage at the break for the eighth time this season, the Roosters were able to carry on with their lead and record their ninth win of the campaign.
With plenty of action in the second forty minutes, a brilliant sequence from the home side allowed them to turn defence into attack in a matter of seconds.
As the defensive line moved up quickly, Manly five-eighth Josh Schuster attempted a bat-on pass which went to ground before being kicked ahead and picked up by a determined Suaalii, winning the ball for his side just 30 metres out from the try line.
Just two plays later, Billy Smith received the ball from Keary on the left edge, fending off two Sea Eagles and putting the ball down in the corner with a stunning solo effort.
Despite being reduced to twelve men for the final 20 minutes, the Roosters grinded out the victory to take home two points and the Gotcha4Life Cup.
