The Sydney Roosters’ finals hopes are alive and kicking with a 30-14 defeat of the Dolphins that exacts revenge for the famous loss the Dolphins inflicted on them in their very first NRL game.
Just when the Roosters’ premiership push threatened to end the way it began – with a stunning ambush from the Dolphins – the Sydney club ran in four second-half tries to one at Allianz Stadium and nullified their rivals’ solid start.
With victories in their final three games, the Roosters will finish with a 13-11 record and a chance to play finals if other results fall their way.
But any finals campaign will be a short one if they cannot iron out the attacking issues that have plagued them all season, and again in the first half on Saturday night.
Despite the Roosters’ wealth of early opportunities, it took Dolphins forward Ray Stone going to the sin bin for a high shot on Drew Hutchison for the home side to open up a comfortable lead.
They blew the scoreline out from 12-8 to 24-8 while Stone was off the field and did not look back.
The halves combination of 200-gamer Luke Keary and utility Hutchison pulled the strings for the Roosters in their big second half.
Roosters centre Billy Smith (right) celebrates his try on Saturday night.Credit: Getty
Keary ran left to set Billy Smith up for the try that gave the home side their first lead and then kicked cross-field for a flying Joseph Suaalii.
Hutchison grabbed the first try-scoring double of his NRL career to help blow the scoreline out.
The Dolphins’ already minuscule finals chances are now officially gone, with Stone’s sin-binning and head knocks to Connelly Lemuelu and Kenny Bromwich stacking the odds against them.
The game played out much the way the Dolphins’ season has – with a strong start and an indifferent finish.
They rebuffed the Roosters’ early advances with the resilient defence typical of Wayne Bennett-coached teams to lead 8-6 at the break.
But they could not contain the Tricolours rivals once they hit their stride.
Tigers force Warriors to work hard for win
Earlier, the Warriors continued their audacious quest for a top-four finals berth with a surprisingly hard-earned 30-22 win over Wests Tigers in New Zealand.
The Warriors resisted two Tigers fightbacks to hang on for a vital victory at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday night.
Despite looking likely winners all night, the Warriors only sealed the win with their fifth try through prop Addin Fonua-Blake four minutes from full-time.
The five-tries-to-four win consolidated the Warriors’ position in third place with three games remaining.
The Auckland-based outfit will need some slip-ups from Penrith or Brisbane to snatch a top-two berth.
But with remaining games against bottom-eight sides Manly, St George Illawarra and the Dolphins, anything is possible.
AAP
