Sonny Bill Williams has inspired the Sydney Roosters to their biggest win over Canterbury since 1935, scoring a double and making another one possible.
The 38-0 win, watched by 22,552 fans, was the third shutout in the club's past three games. And while the coaching staff will be delighted with the defensive efforts, SBW is the player people will be talking about for years to come.
The Roosters suffered a setback in the warm up, with Isaac Liu injuring his ankle just minutes before kick off. 18th man Luke O'Donnell came onto the bench for his third game of the season.
An early error had the Roosters on the back foot, with Canterbury starting their set from 40 metres out. However, as they have all year, the home side held firm in defence, and were awarded a penalty for their efforts.
It took just nine minutes for the greatest script in the NRL to unfold. A simple error from Sam Perrett gave the Roosters excellent field position, and the man on everyone's lips delivered. With his first touch of the evening, Sonny Bill Williams produced an immaculate cut out pass that any great half would have been proud of. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck had plenty of work to do, but made it look easy as he stepped back inside to leave Ben Barba flat on his back. The dream start continued with James Maloney nailing the kick from out wide.
The Bulldogs were the next side to get good field position after Mitchell Pearce was penalised for an alleged shoulder charge. The league's worst attacking side looked like they might have scored through Josh Reynolds, but the officials correctly ruled a knock on from Tony Williams.
Canterbury fans would have been excited to see their live wire fullback back to his best, with Ben Barba eluding several defenders with a trademark kick return. The 25th minuteeffort didn't result in points, but it showed NRL fans that the Canterbury custodian is slowly regaining the form that won him the 2012 Dally M.
Repeated infringements from the Bulldogs cost them dearly, with back to back penalties leading to a straightforward penalty goal to Maloney from in front.
An uncharacteristic error from an aggressive Minichiello saw the visitors back on the attack from close range. After holding out all set, it looked as if the Bulldogs were going to score a scrappy try in the corner, only for some desperate scramble defence to force an error from Barba.
The first half clean sheet was the fifth game in a row the Roosters had kept an opponent scoreless.
It was clear from the get go who had the upper hand in the second half, with the Roosters repeatedly peppering the Canterbury line. A loose ball from Pearce looked to have undone some good play, only for Shaun Kenny-Dowall to unleash a miracle offload to put a fresh Daniel Mortimer into space.
Russell Crowe might be the big name Hollywood star in the NRL, but Sonny Bill Williams was doing his best Gladiator impression. Eight minutes into the second half, the Roosters' boom recruit finished off a move that even Hollywood couldn't script. Some excellent lead up play from the forwards and Mitchell Pearce saw the game's hottest property streak away to dive over in the right corner. The Allianz crowd was in hysterics and for good reason. Like any good supporting actor, Maloney kept the good times rolling with another sideline conversion.
The Bulldogs needed to hit back immediately if they wanted to get themselves back in the match. And after 53 minutes, it looked as if the much maligned Tony Williams had done just that, only for the Origin hopeful to spill the ball over the line.
The near miss sparked the Roosters into action, and they quickly made the Bulldogs pay for their wastefulness. James Maloney continued his love affair with Allianz, slicing through some tired defenders, before popping the ball for impact player Mortimer to score next to the sticks.
If you couldn't believe the first hour of the game, then you might want to look away. Most players would be content with one try and an assist. Not SBW. The fairytale first half took on epic proportions in the 64th minute when the man himself combined with Pearce for the second time to score his first double in the red, white and blue. It was shades of 2008 when Willie Mason bagged a double for the Roosters against the Bulldogs. Suffice to say the crowd enjoyed it.
The Footy Show's next big thing capped offa 10/10 performance when he raced through to collect a Jake Friend grubber. The pivot's fourth try of the season is one he's sure to talk about at the Sunday barbecue.
The hooker rotation was one of the highlights of the night, with both Friend and Mortimer dominating the action. After setting up Maloney moments earlier, Friend made it two assists for the night when he put Michael Jennings away down the short side. The fleet footed centre had people thinking about another MJ from years gone by. Maloney made it 6/6 with the boot with another pinpoint conversion.
The 38-0 result is another highlight in what has already been an incredible season. With both defence and attack firing, a top four finish looks like a reachable goal. James Maloney was the deserved man of the match for the second time this year, finishing with a personal haul of 18 points. The side now has 13 days to recover before they face the Dragons in the traditional ANZAC Day clash.
The 38-0 win, watched by 22,552 fans, was the third shutout in the club's past three games. And while the coaching staff will be delighted with the defensive efforts, SBW is the player people will be talking about for years to come.
The Roosters suffered a setback in the warm up, with Isaac Liu injuring his ankle just minutes before kick off. 18th man Luke O'Donnell came onto the bench for his third game of the season.
An early error had the Roosters on the back foot, with Canterbury starting their set from 40 metres out. However, as they have all year, the home side held firm in defence, and were awarded a penalty for their efforts.
It took just nine minutes for the greatest script in the NRL to unfold. A simple error from Sam Perrett gave the Roosters excellent field position, and the man on everyone's lips delivered. With his first touch of the evening, Sonny Bill Williams produced an immaculate cut out pass that any great half would have been proud of. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck had plenty of work to do, but made it look easy as he stepped back inside to leave Ben Barba flat on his back. The dream start continued with James Maloney nailing the kick from out wide.
The Bulldogs were the next side to get good field position after Mitchell Pearce was penalised for an alleged shoulder charge. The league's worst attacking side looked like they might have scored through Josh Reynolds, but the officials correctly ruled a knock on from Tony Williams.
Canterbury fans would have been excited to see their live wire fullback back to his best, with Ben Barba eluding several defenders with a trademark kick return. The 25th minuteeffort didn't result in points, but it showed NRL fans that the Canterbury custodian is slowly regaining the form that won him the 2012 Dally M.
Repeated infringements from the Bulldogs cost them dearly, with back to back penalties leading to a straightforward penalty goal to Maloney from in front.
An uncharacteristic error from an aggressive Minichiello saw the visitors back on the attack from close range. After holding out all set, it looked as if the Bulldogs were going to score a scrappy try in the corner, only for some desperate scramble defence to force an error from Barba.
The first half clean sheet was the fifth game in a row the Roosters had kept an opponent scoreless.
It was clear from the get go who had the upper hand in the second half, with the Roosters repeatedly peppering the Canterbury line. A loose ball from Pearce looked to have undone some good play, only for Shaun Kenny-Dowall to unleash a miracle offload to put a fresh Daniel Mortimer into space.
Russell Crowe might be the big name Hollywood star in the NRL, but Sonny Bill Williams was doing his best Gladiator impression. Eight minutes into the second half, the Roosters' boom recruit finished off a move that even Hollywood couldn't script. Some excellent lead up play from the forwards and Mitchell Pearce saw the game's hottest property streak away to dive over in the right corner. The Allianz crowd was in hysterics and for good reason. Like any good supporting actor, Maloney kept the good times rolling with another sideline conversion.
The Bulldogs needed to hit back immediately if they wanted to get themselves back in the match. And after 53 minutes, it looked as if the much maligned Tony Williams had done just that, only for the Origin hopeful to spill the ball over the line.
The near miss sparked the Roosters into action, and they quickly made the Bulldogs pay for their wastefulness. James Maloney continued his love affair with Allianz, slicing through some tired defenders, before popping the ball for impact player Mortimer to score next to the sticks.
If you couldn't believe the first hour of the game, then you might want to look away. Most players would be content with one try and an assist. Not SBW. The fairytale first half took on epic proportions in the 64th minute when the man himself combined with Pearce for the second time to score his first double in the red, white and blue. It was shades of 2008 when Willie Mason bagged a double for the Roosters against the Bulldogs. Suffice to say the crowd enjoyed it.
The Footy Show's next big thing capped offa 10/10 performance when he raced through to collect a Jake Friend grubber. The pivot's fourth try of the season is one he's sure to talk about at the Sunday barbecue.
The hooker rotation was one of the highlights of the night, with both Friend and Mortimer dominating the action. After setting up Maloney moments earlier, Friend made it two assists for the night when he put Michael Jennings away down the short side. The fleet footed centre had people thinking about another MJ from years gone by. Maloney made it 6/6 with the boot with another pinpoint conversion.
The 38-0 result is another highlight in what has already been an incredible season. With both defence and attack firing, a top four finish looks like a reachable goal. James Maloney was the deserved man of the match for the second time this year, finishing with a personal haul of 18 points. The side now has 13 days to recover before they face the Dragons in the traditional ANZAC Day clash.
