Five Key Points: Round 24

The Sydney Roosters hosted the Dolphins at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night in Round 24.

Keary’s Milestone Match

Playing his 200th NRL game, Luke Keary led his side to victory from the very beginning as he took control with his kicking and wasn’t afraid to chance his arm in attack.

Off the back of a line break from Nat Butcher, Keary put up a towering attacking bomb which found the turf and was collected by Fletcher Baker, giving the Dolphins a scare as he almost found Sandon Smith in support.

Looking to turn momentum into points, Keary played a perfect short ball to Butcher early in the second half, allowing him to break away from a tackle and make plenty of metres to put the Tricolours on the front foot. 

On the next play, the five-eighth got his hands on the ball once again and delivered it to Artie Legacy Medallist Billy Smith who shrugged off multiple defenders on his way to the try line, giving his side the lead.

Roosters Get on the Board

Having been held scoreless for the opening 39 minutes, the Red, White, and Blue managed to find points as the half time siren sounded with a try to Joseph Manu.

In the set prior, an impromptu fifth tackle move landed in the hands of Smith, who delivered a perfectly weighted grubber into the in goal to force a dropout.

Shifting the ball to the right on the fourth tackle, James Tedesco took on the defensive line and offloaded to Manu who ran on his inside, accelerating through a gap to score.

Home Side Hits the Front

Trailing at the break, Easts exploded out of the sheds to quickly take the lead.

A long kick from opposing halfback Sean O’Sullivan set the Tricolours up for what looked to be a tough set working out of their own end. However, strong runs from Daniel Tupou, Fletcher Baker and Nat Butcher put the home side in attacking territory by the end of the set.

After moving the ball to the right and finding nothing, they decided to shift it back to the left side where Keary set Smith up to score, putting Trent Robinson’s men ahead for the first time of the evening.

Last Ditch Defence

In a game that produced plenty of points, Easts’ defensive efforts stood out as they scrambled to protect their try line at all costs.

Already ahead by six, the Dolphins threatened to extend their lead when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow made a break down the left edge, but Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii produced an impressive defensive play to chase down the speedster and dislodge the ball.

He made another try-saving tackle late in the second half, as Kodi Nikorima floated a long ball over to Tesi Niu who was wrapped up by Suaalii before more Roosters came across to complete the tackle.

Easts Open the Floodgates

Having established a narrow advantage early in the second half, the Tricolours ended up running away with the game in spectacular fashion.

A cross field bomb from milestone man Keary was fielded by a high-flying Suaalii, putting the home side beyond a converted try’s margin.

Just three minutes later they found the line again, as Drew Hutchison sprinted through a gap in the defensive line to dive over.

He produced a carbon copy of the try shortly after, stepping off his left foot and fending off three desperate defenders on his way to the try line.