The Sydney Roosters Pathways sides have officially kicked off their respective seasons, with both the Central Coast Roosters and Jersey Flegg sides coming away with victories, while a number of young Roosters stood up for the North Sydney Bears.
North Sydney Bears Knock On Effect NSW Cup
Despite coming away with a loss, there were a number of positives in the Bears' Round 1 match against the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, particularly for the younger contingent of Roosters.
Young half Sam Walker had a strong game in the no.6 jersey, setting up the side's first try with a well-timed cut-out pass - made more impressive considering the wet conditions at HE Laybutt Field.
Errors cruelled the Bears' opportunities, and although their opponents took an early lead, Walker stood up once again from a scrum play to put Joseph Suaalii through for his first try of the match.
A forced line drop-out saw Suaalii soar for his double from a Drew Hutchison kick, and although the Bears clawed their way back with Walker putting backrower Naufahu Whyte over to get within four points with a quarter of the match left, further errors would see the Sea Eagles come away with the win.
North Sydney Bears 20 (Joseph Suaalii 2, Matt Ikuvalu, Naufahu Whyte tries; Sam Walker 2 goals) def by Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles 48
Central Coast Roosters Harvey Norman Women's Premiership
The Central Coast Roosters started off their 2021 season with a bang, piling on the points against the North Sydney Bears in a 38-10 victory.
Head Coach John Strange said he was pleased with the side's performance, citing the defensive effort and tenacity late in the match as the highlight.
"With Round 1 we weren't sure what we were going to expect, especially considering we've had five changes since last year's Grand Final, in particular with a new halves pairing," he said.
"I'm happy with the preparation. Norths came out and scored the first try and we knew they'd come out looking to avenge their Grand Final loss but we stood strong.
"It was really pleasing - and I said this to the players in the sheds after the game - was that with two minutes to go, Norths made a break from inside their own half and we scrambled to save a potential try.
Match: CC Roosters v Bears
Round 1 -
home Team
CC Roosters
away Team
Bears
Venue: Morry Breen Oval, Central Coast
"It was a hot day, we were up 38-10 but every single player then got back behind the defensive line to make sure they didn't score. That attitude was the most pleasing thing to see despite the scoreline.
"There's plenty to work on, we want to keep focusing on what we're doing well as a team, especially with our new combinations."
Central Coast Roosters 38 (Hannah Southwell, Jasmine Strange, Simone Simone, Isabelle Kelly, Keilee Joseph, Tayla Predebon, Shawden Burton tries; Hannah Southwell 4, Jocelyn Kelleher goals) def North Sydney Bears 10
Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg
The Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg side have started their season with a win against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in a 24-12 victory.
The Tricolours got on the board early through Ronald Volkman, and while Manly hit back in the 18th minute, the Roosters immediately replied through Max Batty to take a 12-6 lead into the break.
A Hugo Patterson try extended the Roosters' lead to twelve with 50 minutes gone, and although Manly responded with five to go, a four-pointer to lock Harrison Edwards sewed up the result.
Sydney Roosters 24 (Ronald Volkman, Max Batty, Hugo Patterson, Harrison Edwards tries; Corey Fenning 4 goals) def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
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