Chooks thrash rusty Knights

THE Sydney Roosters have reignited their NRL season with a 48-10 thumping of fellow top four fancies Newcastle but it’s come at a cost with Jake Friend suffering a suspected forearm injury.

After spluttering through much of the representative period and winning just two of their previous seven games, Trent Robinson’s side hit full flight on a sunny winter afternoon at the SCG yesterday.

They turned on the razzle dazzle in the second half in a warning shot to the rest of the competition with Luke Keary and James Tedesco leading the way. Keary’s fingerprints were over most of his side’s big moments during a crucial secondhalf period, coming up with three try assists as the Roosters inflicted the Knights’ fourth loss in five weeks.

The Roosters led 6-4 at the break but the Knights could have been up after Jesse Ramien bombed a golden chance and Connor Watson was stopped short.

But the home side turned the screws with a second-half onslaught, running in seven tries including six straight to finish off the game.

NSW State of Origin hero Tedesco finished with 262 metres, one try, 10 tackle busts and two linebreaks in a handsdown victory over rival No.1 ROOSTERS KNIGHTS Kalyn Ponga. The home side started the second half in style when Latrell Mitchell picked up a loose ball and raced 90 metres to score.

Mitchell finished with a 20point haul after also booting eight from eight conversion attempts.

Herman Ese’ese kept his side in the hunt but from there the Roosters were ruthless, posting six tries in the final 24 minutes of what was their biggest win of the season.

The Knights will end the round in eighth spot but with Brisbane and the Warriors breathing down their necks just one point back.

The game was the Roosters’ first since Round 1 in which they fielded their first-choice spine of Friend, Tedesco, Keary and Cooper Cronk.

But they were struck a huge blow in just the eighth minute when Friend left the field with a suspected forearm injury and did not return.