Mud and mire replaced the magic and the Roosters went the same way on Sunday afternoon, slumping to a wet, wild and worrying 20-6 loss to a Cowboys side who produced their best performance of the season.
Where monsoonal rain helped the Roosters tighten up their scatter-gun attack last week against the Warriors, 10 minutes of hail at Magic Round either side of kick-off turned Suncorp Stadium into a Slip ’N Slide.
And the Roosters simply went to water. Not since 2016, when they slumped to second-last in the worst season of Trent Robinson’s tenure, have the Roosters been kept scoreless, and only when Angus Crichton scored in the final minute did they avoid repeating that ignominious stat.
Instead it was North Queensland tightening up, defending like rabid dogs and playing smart wet-weather football Cowboys fans can thank for one of the more comprehensive upsets of the season.
“We didn’t adapt to the conditions or execute our plays,“Roosters captain James Tedesco said.
“Our attack’s not anywhere near where it should be with the players we have. It’s quite frustrating and we’re relying on individuals. We’re not threatening, we had chances to score points and we didn’t really look close to be honest.”
Reuben Cotter scores for the Cowboys against the Roosters on Sunday.Credit: Getty
Little went the Roosters’ way from the outset, and there was nowhere for them to look but in the mirror.
Perhaps the omens were there from the outset given Trent Robinson was forced to do his work from the sideline, the wild weather rendering his walkie-talkie useless for the first half.
One early second-half play had the club’s halves consultant Cooper Cronk lamenting in commentary the way first Brandon Smith, then Sitili Tupouniua “didn’t know who he was passing to” before a Luke Keary knock-on.
A try to North Queensland’s Jack Gosiewski straight after extended a 6-0 Cowboys half-time lead further, before a follow-up four-pointer from Chad Townsend — courtesy of a questionable pass slung back infield by Murray Taulagi — made it 18-0.
Roosters five-eighth Joseph Manu.Credit: Getty
Given what the Chooks were tossing up, they were as good as cooked with more than 30 minutes still to play.
One late play saw the Roosters without a dummy-half while pressing North Queensland’s line. Premiership contenders simply don’t do that.
Coach Trent Robinson said axed half Sam Walker has been laid low by illness and won’t be parachuted back into his spine next week with premiers Penrith up next.
Tedesco is well and truly aware of the clock ticking on the Tricolours’ premiership credentials.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves meets the Cowboys defence.Credit: Getty
“We’ve had some changes in our spine and it’s a really strong spine,” he said.
“But it’s on us to execute our plays. It’s round 10 now and we still haven’t nailed it. We’ve got to have a good look at ourselves in the mirror and just keep working hard … We can’t wait another three or four weeks because it’s going to be too late.”
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ temper threatened to boil over as the Cowboys lead grew, having been held out of the contest by Robinson until the 27th minute. Within moments of entering the fray he stayed down looking for a penalty before firing up.
“I’m happy to crack him bro,” was Waerea-Hargreaves not-so subtle message for referee Ashley Klein as he and Jamayne Taunoa-Brown exchanged pleasantries.
The flashpoint was the highlight of a dour first 40 where both sides battled for fluency. Only Reuben Cotter, crashing over from a smart Coen Hess offload, troubled the scorers.
The Roosters rarely looked like doing the same. From the 70-minute mark that was thanks to gritty goal line defence from the Cowboys as regular repeat sets were forced.
With yet another underwhelming outing though, premiers Penrith awaiting on Friday and Walker still waiting in the wings, we wait a while longer for the Roosters to live up to the hype.
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