Roosters book home playoff with Broncos
THE Roosters rescued a 10-point deficit inside the last 10 minutes to beat the plucky Gold Coast 20-16 at Allianz Stadium yesterday.
They now host Brisbane instead of Brisbane hosting them in week one of the finals. Instead, three of the four week one finals will now be played in Sydney.
It was the 11th time the Roosters have won this year by six points or less, a NRL record.
The recalled Joseph Manu’s late juggling act to set up Michael Gordon and Boyd Cordner’s dash from a crisp Mitchell Pearce pass sealed the deal, but they know they will have to be much better next week.
And it might be without Zane Tetevano, who was placed on report for a high tackle which felled Ben Nakubuwai and left him heavily concussed midway through the second half.
Jarryd Hayne was so late arriving on the field you would have thought he was following Josh Dugan’s bus timetable for Mad Monday.
His Titans team-mates had left up the tunnel without him, the Roosters had emerged before him and then the NRL’s great enigma shuffled out to make the opening whistle just in time.
Kevin Proctor started the year as co-captain – turned his nose up at it, or put something up it and lost it – and then won it back and showed why. His captain’s knock was perhaps what the Titans have craved all year, and have rarely seen. He pounced on a neat Ashley Taylor kick to open up a 10-point lead, set up by Anthony Don’s 90-metre scamper off a stray Michael Gordon pass early in the second half.
Even the most hearty Titans fans would have struggled to identify some of their squad having handed a club debut to a 17th player this year in the form of Keegan Hipgrave.
They may usually be small in number, but the Roosters’ fans are loud by nature. Particularly when the whistle is not going their way.
Connor Watson mugged Hayne in what many thought a legal oneon-one steal – Kane Evans was in close attention and may have fleetingly placed a hand on the No 1 – and then popped the ball to a runaway Mitchell Aubusson. It was called back.
It followed a Pearce pass to Cordner being called back in the first half, but take two proved to be the matchwinner. The Sun-Herald GETTY IMAGES