The Sydney Roosters returned to the Central Coast in Round 14, hosting the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Industree Group Stadium.
Round 14 Match Highlights: Roosters vs Bulldogs
Captain Backs Up
After playing a tough Origin game just four days prior, James Tedesco put together another impressive 80 minutes in the Red, White, and Blue.
The fullback showed no signs of staying in his shell, leading by example by taking two hit-ups in the opening set of the match.
Keary Sets Up Tedesco
Proving a handful in attack, he finished with 200 run metres and an impressive 11 tackle busts, as well as crossing the stripe for his second double in as many games.
The Skipper set up a try as well, darting out of dummy half 50 minutes into the match before tiptoeing between defenders and giving the ball to Junior Pauga, who scored under the sticks.
Tedesco Sets Up Pauga
Debutants Shine in Nail-Biting Win
The Club introduced two new names to Roosters folklore, with Junior Pauga becoming Rooster #1217 in a Club debut, and Sandon Smith making his NRL debut as Rooster #1218.
Pauga was almost perfect on the wing, working hard out of the backfield to rack up an impressive 194 run metres. He also scored on debut, backing up James Tedesco through the middle of the park to race 50 metres to the stripe.
In The Sheds: Junior Pauga
He also proved his worth under the high ball, consistently fielding trademark bombs from Matt Burton to draw plenty of noise from the 18,338 fans.
Debuting in his hometown, Kincumber Colts junior Sandon Smith played through the middle of the park for the last 18 minutes of the match. He kept his cool in the big moment, delivering an inch-perfect dummy-half pass to Luke Keary who slotted the winning field goal.
Smith: 'This Is The Best Day Of My Life'
Easts Complete Courageous Comeback
Having trailed 12-0 after just 14 minutes, Trent Robinson’s men showed tremendous resilience to claw their way back into the contest and come away with the victory.
The fightback was launched just three minutes after their opponents scored their second try, with the Captain Tedesco backing up Luke Keary through the middle to score.
He bagged a double just five minutes later, with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii converting the try to lock it up at 12 heading into the break.
With both sides scoring two converted tries in the second half, Easts were able to find their winning edge through a Keary field goal.
Clutch Keary Ices the Game
With the game in the balance and the clock winding down, halfback Luke Keary put his hand up to give his side a timely advantage.
Receiving a crisp pass out of dummy half, Keary iced a field goal to put the Tricolours ahead for the first time in the match with just six minutes left to play.
Keary Takes The Lead
The Roosters were able to defend their one-point lead for the remainder of the game, sealing their sixth win of the season.
Roosters Record Third Consecutive Gosford Triumph
Since their first home game at Central Coast Stadium in 2004, Easts have experienced mixed results when hosting games up north.
But in recent times they have defended the ground firmly, recording a convincing 54-26 win over the Dragons last year and a 44-16 conquering of the Raiders in 2021.
Robinson & Tedesco: Round 14 Press Conference
Although Sunday’s game didn’t present as large of a margin as recent Central Coast outings, it was a much-needed win for the Tricolours and places them just outside the top eight before hosting the Panthers at Allianz Stadium in Round 15.
