Former Broncos star as Roosters hammer Brisbane
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A trio of familiar faces returned to haunt the Broncos on Sunday afternoon, as one-time Brisbane players Taryn Aiken, Millie Elliott and Amber Hall stole the show for the Roosters in a 28-12 victory at Allianz Stadium.
After Elliott set a commanding platform with her powerful carries through the opening exchanges, Hall came on from the bench to cause chaos in her first game in over a year, with Aiken starring on the back of it with a two-try showing.
Also influential was centre Jessica Sergis, who scored either side of half-time to help her side establish a 28-6 lead with 20 to go.
Jessica Sergis 1st Try
In what was an end-to-end encounter with plenty of errors from both sides, the Roosters clicked into gear late in the second half and never looked back as they opened their account for the year following a first-up loss to the Knights.
A four-pointer from each side inside the opening nine minutes had suggested a high-scoring shootout awaited, however the next points didn't come until the 33rd minute, at which point the Tricolours scored the first of two quickfire tries to give them a 16-6 lead at the break.
Sergis had sent Jayme Fressard over for the opener on three minutes, before one-time Rooster Keilee Joseph broke the line and offloaded for Romy Teitzel to hit back.
Romy Teitzel Try
An arm wrestle ensued, with Keeley Davis' individual effort on 20 minutes – in which she was denied by a last-ditch pressure from Julia Robinson that forced on a knock on – the closest either side came to scoring through that period.
Try Saver from Robinson
But the plan fell to pieces for Brisbane in dramatic fashion with two to play in the half, with the Roosters scoring through Aiken, before a ferocious Hall carry laid the platform for Sergis to get over.
It wasn't long before Sergis was back in the scoring either, with the Sky Blues centre jamming in and picking off a wayward Destiny Brill offload to run 80 metres early in the second stanza.
Another long-range effort, this time from Aiken, followed, before Brisbane hit back with one of their own through Jada Ferguson with 15 to play.
But it had little impact on the final result, with the Tricolours holding on for a comfortable win ahead of their trip to Gosford to face the Wests Tigers in Round 3.
Match: Roosters v Broncos
Round 2 -
home Team
Roosters
4th Position
away Team
Broncos
9th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match Snapshot
- The Roosters have now won their past four games against the Broncos and are four from five in games played at Allianz Stadium.
- Jessica Sergis finished the game with two tries, a line break, line break assist and try assist to her name.
- Millie Elliott racked up 175 run metres to go with 39 tackles in an uncompromising showing, while Brianna Clark topped the metre count for Brisbane forwards with 110.
- Clark went on report with six minutes to play for a shoulder charge, while teammate Jasmine Fogavini was also cited for shoulder contact earlier in the second half.
- Both sides failed to complete above 70 percent in the clash, with the Roosters coughing up 14 errors to complete at 65 percent and the Broncos making 15 errors for a completion rate of 62 percent.
- Brisbane gave away seven penalties to the Roosters' three.
Play of the Game
Brilliant instincts saw Sergis shut down a promising Brisbane attack and instead turn it into a runaway four-pointer of her own. As the Broncos looked to promote some second phase Sergis popped up to claim the ball and disappear into open space for her second try of the day.
Jessica Sergis 2nd Try
What They Said
"To build on [Round 1], which I felt as though we did, and put on some nice tries [was good]. We have definitely got a lot to work on, but really happy with the two points and the effort. It was like [Sam Bremner] had played last week... I was really confident bringing her in, that she'd be able to get back to where she was when she played with us in 2022." – Roosters coach John Strange.
Roosters: Round 2
"[Our performance] was very similar to last week. Some really positive things happening for us and then we'd ease the pressure valve on the Roosters at some points... dumb plays putting pressure on ourselves. In saying that, I am really happy with the girls' effort. It's frustrating when you are sitting there watching and you can see frustration on the field, but I don't think we are far off getting it right." – Broncos coach Scott Prince.
Broncos: Round 2
