Warriors’ season officially over
Roosters run riot at SCG as visitors fail to recover from crippling early injury blow
The Warriors’ season is officially over. After weeks on the tightrope, their slim finals hopes were crushed with a comprehensive 42-6 defeat to the Roosters.
The Warriors plans were thrown into disarray in the eighth minute, as Gerard Beale left the field with a serious knee injury, necessitating a backline reshuffle.
It was far from ideal, taking Chanel Harris-Tavita out of the halves and requiring Kodi Nikorima to play longer than planned. But even given those changes, this wasn’t the performance the Warriors needed.
This was a death-or-glory game, but most of the team, apart from irrepressible captain Roger TuivasaSheck, didn’t exhibit the necessary desire.
At the least, given what was at stake, you’d expect the Warriors to go down swinging, but it was all a bit flat.
They had a chance early on — as the Roosters started slowly in the first quarter — but once the Bondi team clicked into gear, the result never looked in doubt.
Roosters 42 Warriors 6
The Warriors attack lacked precision most of the afternoon, as passes missed the mark, runners got in each other’s way, and even when there was a half-break, no one showed the anticipation to back up.
But defence was the biggest issue, as the Warriors dropped first-up tackles, lacking the intensity they had brought to the contest against the Sea Eagles last week.
They also failed to take advantage of a strong wind in the first half, and turning with a six-point deficit was always going to be a big ask, as the Roosters scored six second-half tries.
In the first match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Warriors made the perfect start, with Blake Green’s precise chip anticipated perfectly by a charging Tuivasa-Sheck to dot down by the posts.
The Warriors looked up for it, forcing some early errors from the reigning premiers, but the injury to Beale was a major blow. The veteran centre suffered a ruptured patella tendon as he stepped awkwardly taking a hit-up, and led to HarrisTavita moving to left centre, Peta Hiku switching sides and Nikorima coming into dummy half.
The visitors’ attack was clunky — twice in succession, the decoy runner got in the way — and they also coughed up errors. The Warriors also twice gifted the Roosters seven-tackle sets in the opening quarter, as their kickers adjusted to the different dimensions of the SCG.
The Roosters came back into the match with a simple try to Latrell Mitchell on the left edge before going ahead with Joseph Manu diving over, one play after Harris-Tavita had made a superb try-saving tackle.
The home side extended their lead after halftime through a Luke Keary solo effort, as the Kangaroos halfback left Green for dead for pace.
A James Tedesco try — off a clever but simple tap move — sealed the result, as the Warriors defence was guilty of going to sleep, before Brett Morris profited after the visitors couldn’t deal with a towering Keary bomb. Jazz Tevaga’s sinbinning for a late hit on Cooper Cronk was debatable but followed the trend of recent weeks, and Mitch Aubusson forced his way over soon after, with the officials ignoring a possible double movement.
Mitchell grabbed his second with the right edge defence again exposed in a sorry end to the match, before a Daniel Tupou try on the hooter ended an awful day.
Roosters 42 (Latrell Mitchell 2, Joseph Manu, Luke Keary, James Tedesco, Brett Morris, Mitchell Aubusson, Daniel Tupou tries; Mitchell 5 goals)
Warriors 6 (Roger Tuivasa-Sheck try; Chanel Harris-Tavita goal) Halftime: 12-6