Sydney Roosters recorded mixed results in the opening NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg rounds over the weekend.
NSW Cup suffered a 44-18 loss to the Western Suburbs Magpies, while the Jersey Flegg team recorded their first win of the season, beating the Wests Tigers 26-16 at Leichhardt Oval.
NSW Cup
Sydney Roosters NSW Cup side were defeated by the Western Suburbs Magpies 44-18 in their return to the competition at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t the ideal start to the season for Tony Barnes’ side, who were outclassed by a talented Magpies outfit that reined in eight tries and six conversions to seal the victory.
Second-rower Kitione Kautoga got the home side off to a flying start, splitting the Roosters defensive line to plough over in the seventh minute.
Tricolours halfback Sandon Smith responded in the 19th minute, receiving an inside pass from Allan Fitzgibbon before racing around the back of the posts to ground the ball. Smith converted his own try to level the scores.
Magpies interchange forward Sione Fainu monstered his was through a crowd of Roosters to score in the 25th minute, with former Bulldog Brandon Wakeham slotting the conversion to give the home side an advantage once more.
Three minutes later, Fitzgibbon danced in the line, opening a gap on the right edge before sending Ethan Clark-Wood over in the corner.
Western Suburbs recorded five consecutive tries through a Kautoga double in the 33rd and 44th minutes, while fullback Jahream Bula ran 90 metres to add another four-pointer to the board. Brandon Tumeth also bagged a second-half double, scoring back-to-back tries in the 58th and 64th minutes after streaming through the scattered defensive line.
Roosters five-eighth Joseph Taipari crossed in the 68th minute after faking a pass to open up a hole in the defensive line. Magpies winger Junior Tupou soared over the try-line three minutes later, off a switch scrum play that caught the Tricolours off-guard.
A scrappy 80th minute play kept the ball alive for Jordan Swann to score on the left edge for the Roosters, reducing the difference to 26 points as the siren sounded.
Match: Magpies v Roosters
Round 1 -
home Team
Magpies
1st Position
away Team
Roosters
13th Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
North Sydney Bears also recorded a first-round loss to the Penrith Panthers on Friday evening going down 18-12 at BlueBet Stadium. Jesse Marschke and Zach Dockar-Clay both snagged four-pointers but the Panthers proved too strong at home.
Jersey Flegg
Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg team started their season on a high note, resuming last year’s success with an opening round win, crushing the Wests Tigers 26-16 at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
Roosters hooker Alan Holten scored the first try of the season in the third minute, with five-eighth Tyler Colley adding the extras to give the Tricolours an early six-point lead.
The Tigers planned their attack and struck eight minutes later through their dummy-half, Jaycob Anjoul. Centre Sione Vaihu put the home side in-front in the 15th minute and skipper Zane Camroux nailed the conversion to make the difference four.
Brilliant ballplaying by Roosters winger Isaac Guba and fullback Owen Flattery resulted in late first-half tries to the visitors, giving them a six-point lead at the break.
Guba bagged his second four-pointer of the day on the 40-minute mark, giving Sydney a hand lead as the Tigers plotted their comeback.
Wests prop Jackson Owen crossed for a try in the 55th minute with Camroux kicking the conversion to bring the home side within four.
Easts winger Matua Robinson locked in the win with three minutes left, scoring the Red, White and Blue’s fifth try of the afternoon, while Colley added the two-points to make the final score 26-16.
Match: Wests Tigers v Roosters
Round 1 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
10th Position
away Team
Roosters
3rd Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
