Roosters bounce back in style with rout of Dragons
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A commanding performance from the Roosters saw them get back to winning ways on Thursday night with a 30-0 shutout of the Dragons at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Five days on from being upset by competition newcomers the Raiders, the star-studded Roosters came out with a point to prove and punished the Dragons, who to their credit got back into the contest after a horror start which saw them down 12-0 after 10 minutes.
While the result is exactly what coach John Strange was asking for, there will be some concern within the Tricolours after star prop Millie Boyle was placed on report for a hip drop, while centre Jess Sergis appeared to play through injury and didn't finish the game after missing last week with a hamstring complaint.
The Roosters blew their opponents off the park in the opening exchanges and after Teagan Berry denied Sergis' contender for try of the season with a last-ditch tackle, Isabelle Kelly hit the Dragons on the next set with a try out wide.
Isabelle Kelly try 4th minute
Five-eighth Tarryn Aiken added a second four minutes later and with Jocelyn Kelleher converting both the Tricolours had a handy 12-0 lead.
But what looked on track to be a walk in the park for the Roosters ended up being a highly entertaining opening 35 minutes and the Dragons could have considered themselves unlucky not to be ahead at the break, after having three try claims ruled out by the officials.
Dragons dig deep to hold on
Down 12-0 early in the second half, the air was knocked out of the Dragons when Kelly got over for her second on 48 minutes and from there the floodgates opened.
Tries to wingers Brydie Parker and Jayme Fressard followed, in between a powerhouse run from Otesa Pule which ended in the Kiwi Fern crashing over, to blow the final scoreline out.
Otesa Pule try 61st minute
In the end the Dragons, who completed 92 percent of their sets on the night, will look back with regret on a poor defensive effort that included 66 missed tackles and 10 leaked line breaks.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 3 -
home Team
Roosters
3rd Position
away Team
Dragons
8th Position
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Match Snapshot
- In seven meetings with the Dragons, the Roosters now boast a 5-2 record and have won four of the last five.
- Roosters prop Millie Boyle went on report for a hip drop tackle on 44 minutes.
- The Roosters' back five all racked up triple figures in running metres, led by fullback Corban Baxter (202) and Isabelle Kelly (171).
Pasikala the wrecking ball
- In her NRLW debut Dragons hooker Sophie Clancy made 33 tackles. She left the field for a HIA in the second half which she passed.
- Amelia Pasikala enjoyed a strong NRLW debut that included 80 run metres and 11 tackle breaks for the Tricolours.
- The Dragons made just five errors and completed at 92 percent, compared to the Roosters who made 12 and completed at 74 percent.
- The 30-point margin was the Roosters' biggest winning margin in their NRLW history.
Play of the Game
In the end it didn't make a difference to the outcome of the game, but this defensive effort from Teagan Berry was yet another sign of her development as a player this year, since making the full-time move to fullback. After several of her teammates made failed attempts to tackle Jess Sergis, Berry recovered from being beaten initially to catch the rep centre and stop her inches from the line.
Sergis in space
What they Said
"We tried too hard and we missed some tackles... the short turnaround – and they were off it as well – they probably handled it better. It was 12-0 for a big chunk of it there after we started slow, but we just missed some one-on-one tackles. The girls tried really hard and I am always proud of them." – Dragons coach Jamie Soward
Dragons: Round 3
"100 percent the zero [impresses me more than the 30]. We spoke after last week's game, everyone was disappointed in themselves and it was because of the attitude that we turned up with. 12-0 at half-time after we spoke about zero, 35 minutes and no tries, because that's the mindset we have to play with. Points will come off the back of that if we defend really well." – Roosters coach John Strange
Roosters: Round 3
What's Next
The Roosters are away to the Sharks at PointsBet Stadium in Round 4 hunting their third win of the year, while the Dragons open the round against the Raiders at WIN Stadium on Saturday.
