Club Weekend Results: 18th – 20th July, 2025

NSW Cup

The Sydney Roosters NSW Cup team have staged what is possibly the greatest comeback in Club history in defeating the fourth placed Newtown Jets 26-24 at Henson Park. In sixth place coming into the game, the Roosters, playing without Ethan King and Sandon Smith, began poorly and conceded four first half converted tries to trail 24-0 three minutes prior to half time. It was one way traffic and the Jets looked headed for a repeat of their Round 12 54-0 victory over the Roosters at Gosford.

Just prior to the half time break bench hooker Tyler Moriaty made a 60 metre break off a Hayden Barton offload, before halves Toby Rodwell and Reece Foley combined to send winger Trey Peni over in the right corner. The Toby Rodwell conversion attempt hit the post and at the break Newtown led 24-4. Nobody at that stage could have predicted what would happen in the first fifteen minutes of the second half.

Four minutes into the second half left centre Junior Tupou dived over from dummy half and Rodwell again hit the post with his conversion attempt and Newtown led 24-8. From the first set after the kick off 19-year-old halfback Rodwell threw a dummy 60 metres out from the Jets line and sliced through the defensive line before putting a lovely move on the Newtown fullback to score a scintillating individual try. Rodwell converted his own try and Newtown’s lead was now 24-14.

Again, from the set after the kick-off the Roosters marched downfield before another long Moriaty line break got the Roosters close to the Jets line. A quick shift to the left saw Rodwell put left edge forward Hayden Barton over the tryline for the Roosters fourth try. Once again (for the third time), the conversion attempt from wide out by Rodwell hit the posts, and missed, and the Jets led 24-18. From the kick off the Roosters marched downfield before a towering Rodwell bomb on the final tackle of the set was regathered spectacularly by Reece Foley and the Roosters were in again. Rodwell this time put the conversion attempt through the posts and incredibly the Roosters had tied up the scores at 24-24. They had scored five tries in fifteen minutes and four second half tries in eight minutes, without the Jets touching the ball.

An error in the set after the Roosters fifth try gave the Jets possession in the 56th minute of the match. In a 20-minute period from the 36th minute of the first half to the 16th minute in the second half the Jets had the ball for just one set, early in the second half. The Roosters were just brilliant with Barton, Moriaty, Foley and the Rodwell brothers, Toby and Tom, highly influential.

After the mayhem of the first 15 minutes of the second half the game settled down again with both teams getting an even share of possession but neither was able to break the deadlock. With five minutes remaining Toby Rodwell attempted a field goal which barely got off the ground but the referee Damian Brady ruled that the Jets markers weren’t square at the play the ball and awarded the Roosters a penalty. Rodwell cooly kicked the penalty goal and the Roosters, for the first time in the game, led 26-24 before playing out the final three minutes of the game to pull off just the most astonishing win.

NRL squad halfback Toby Rodwell, player of the match in May when the Roosters won the S.G. Ball Cup Grand Final, had his finest game as a senior Rooster and worked really well his halves partner, Reece Foley.

Rodwell, the Roosters' 2024 Harry Phipps Rising Star Award winner, ran for 208 metres, had two line breaks, one line break assist, two try assists, seven tackle breaks, two forced drop outs and one try. He also made 16 tackles with just one miss. Older brother Tom, playing in the uncustomary role for him as fullback, led the Roosters for metres gained, once again, with 235. Hayden Barton with 160 metres gained and 31 tackles made was once again one of the Roosters’ hardest workers.

Despite the win, the Roosters remain in 6th position on the competition table but are really the only team outside the top five that can possibly play finals this year. The Roosters’ remaining six matches are all against teams outside the Top 5, commencing next Sunday when they take on 7th placed Canterbury-Bankstown at Belmore Oval.

Jersey Flegg Cup (Men’s Under 21s)

The 9th placed Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup team have pulled off a stunning victory over the 4th placed Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in their Round 20 clash at Woolooware.

The Roosters began poorly with a number of errors and were quickly behind 6-0. The game then took a dramatic turn. Roosters five eighth Lachlan Dooner was sent from the field in the 13th minute of the match for a dangerous tackle and the Roosters were forced to play with just 12 men for the final 67 minutes. Soon after, the Sharks had taken their lead out to 12-0 before Roosters halfback Josh Durkin scored (and converted) in the 24th minute off a nice Ethan Roberts pass. However, more errors from the Roosters led to plenty of Sharks’ possession and at the 32-minute mark the Sharks led 18-6. They took that lead into half time but were far more dominant against the 12 men than the score indicated.

It took 12 minutes of the second half before we saw further scoring but given how the match had changed after half time it was no shock that it was the Roosters who scored first, with a try to Kiwi right centre Jackson Stewart off a lovely Josh Durkin offload. With the Durkin conversion the Sharks lead was now 18-12. The Roosters were now dominating the game, running harder and tackling harder. Five minutes later the best try of the game was put on down the Sharks right side defence. Starting hooker Jackson Allen, playing in the halves after Dooner’s dismissal, passed to Ethan Roberts who put left centre Will Malloy away on a long run, before Malloy found the speedy Allen in support who scored the try. The Durkin conversion tied the scores at 18-18 with 20 minutes remaining. A penalty for crowding at the play the ball gave Durkin a chance to give the Roosters the lead for the first time in the game and the Rooster playmaker made no mistake with the kick and the Roosters led 20-18 with 14 minutes to go. The Roosters hung on for the epic win despite finishing the game with 11 men. In the final minutes of the game in-form bench hooker Zac Gillett suffered a serious ankle injury and as the Roosters had used all their interchanges the team had to play out the game with 11. Fortunately, time was to beat the Sharks as the Roosters held possession for the short period they were reduced to 11. The injury to Gillett and the sending off of Dooner took a little gloss off what was a terrific Roosters win. 18-year-old prop Itula Seve also looked to have picked up an injury after lasting just eight minutes in his second stint and was walking gingerly at full time.

The win, the Roosters’ 2nd in succession and 5th win from their last 6 games, lifted the Club to 8th on the ladder but they are still four wins behind 5th and highly unlikely to play finals.

All Jersey Flegg clubs have a bye in Round 21. The Roosters next play on Saturday, 2nd August when they play Manly-Warringah at Brookvale as part of a triple header between the two clubs.

NSW Women’s Premiership

The Central Coast Roosters NSW Women’s Premiership team have gone down 28-6 to the highly regarded Illawarra Steelers in their Round 3 clash in Wollongong.

The classy Steelers outfit were much too strong for the young Roosters but the visitors never gave up. The Roosters team this week featured NRLW contracted players Jayde Herdegen (halfback), Taniesha Gray (prop), Imogen Hei (hooker) and NRLW development players Sienna Thomas (fullback), Talea Tonga (five eighth) and Mahlie Cashin (interchange bench).

The Roosters did score first with a try to hooker Imogen Hei with some nice deception from dummy half. The Logan Fletcher conversion gave the Roosters a 6-0 lead after 12 minutes but soon after the Steelers took full control of the game and scored five tries in 35 minutes to stretch the score to 28-6, a lead they held onto until fulltime.

Whilst some of those Roosters players who played during the week in the Australian Schools carnival backed up against the Steelers, five others (Ellie Brander, Jayla Dicker, Fa’agase Tupuola-Palale, Lacey Cross and Tyra Dymock) were rested but should return for the next match.

That Roosters next game is against Canterbury-Bankstown at Woy Woy next Sunday.

Ron Massey Cup

The Glebe Ron Massey Cup team have been beaten for the fifth time this season, defeated 26-16 by Penrith Brothers at Wentworth Park.

Glebe, with Roosters NSW Cup squad members Lafi Tuinauvai (prop) and Josh Finau (lock) and Jersey Flegg Cup squad member James Khoo (centre) in their team this week, got off to a great start to lead the 8th placed Brothers 12-0 after 13 minutes but momentum shifted soon after and Glebe could only manage one more try to Brothers’ four tries for the remainder of the game. A couple of late penalty goals stretched Brothers’ victory margin out to ten points after they had led 22-16 with five minutes to go.

The Dirty Reds remain in 4th place on the competition ladder but have the Wentworthville Magpies right on their hammer in 5th place.

Next Saturday Glebe travel to St Marys to take on last placed Blacktown Workers, who were beaten 80-0 on the weekend by 2nd paced Mounties.

Sydney Shield

The Glebe Sydney Shield team remain in contention for a finals berth despite a 36-12 loss to the 8th placed Penrith Brothers at Wentworth Park.

Glebe’s team this week included three Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup squad members with Druzel Taula (fullback), Enzo Griffier (winger)n and fellow Frenchman Jonti Morshead-Feildel (centre) suiting up,

Brothers were far too good for the Dirty Reds however, running in seven tries, including four to winger Harry Wald. Brothers led 14-2 at half time and Glebe were never in the game. Due to byes in Rounds 13 and 15 this match was Glebe’s second in a month, and like their Ron Massey Cup team, a lack of football was a factor in both team’s losses.

Next Sunday Glebe travel to Narrabeen to take on 3rd placed Manly Leagues in a most important clash where one can expect an improved performance. Manly beat Glebe 22-20 when the teams last clashed in Round 8.

See the latest results below for all the Senior Representative and Affiliate club sides.