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Roosters VS Rabbitohs Game Review
Written by Scott Morrison (Labroy)
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, watching the mighty chooks give it to the bunnies 36 - 10! A fantastic start to the season, full of energy, toughness and skill, that should put a smile on all Roosters supporters faces.
The platform for the win was laid in the first ten minutes of the game, despite the Roosters giving away three penalties in the first seven minutes their defence held strong. South’s had most of the possession and attacked the Roosters line however the numbers in defence were there and so was the attitude that was missing for much of 2009.
After turning the Rabbits away the Roosters combined with some nice attacking plays, grinding their way up field with some tough dummy half running combined with some slick back line running and passing that saw Mitchell Pearce cross the stripe. SKD grabbed the second try in the 28th minute with an intercept that he took from a couple of metres from the Roosters line before running the length of the field to score.
The bunnies managed to score three minutes before the break. At oranges it was 12 – 6 to the Roosters however there was still much trepidation amongst Roosters supporters waiting for the second half despite the improved showing in the first half.
The Roosters dominated the second half however not before South’s winger, Nathan Merritt, dropped the ball with only 25 metres to go before scoring. The chase of Nate Myles, although not getting to Merritt, was outstanding and full of leadership.
After that point the Roosters went on the way. A freakish try to Sam Perrett from a tap back from Todd Carney whilst jumping from the field of play, over the dead ball line was great to watch.
Three more tries to Aidan Guerra, Mitchell Pearce and SKD kept the scoreboard ticking and the Roosters fan’s clapping and cheering.
A big stand up and cheer for Nate Myles who was outstanding, his work rate in defence was noteworthy however his aggression in defence added to his work rate could be a real bonus for the Roosters this year, Nate looks fitter than ever before and this showed in the way he carted the ball up tirelessly all day long with great impact.
Nate’s back row mates were not far behind, Mitch Aubbuson was outstanding in defence and attack, as was Tom Symonds before his freak injury (let’s hope it is a minor injury, we can’t afford to lose anymore back rowers) took him from the field late in the first half.
Our front rowers stood up to the much hyped and massive South’s forward pack. Lopini, Frank-Paul and Jason all played well, making plenty of yards through the middle and keeping the line tight in defence when required. The mix between James Aubbuson and Kouparitsas seemed to work ok, however more time is needed to see if this combination is up to the week to week grind of the NRL.
The obvious talking point is of course the way Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce played. I said this in the pre season article, Todd Carney could be the most important purchase our club has made since bringing Brad Fitler to the club. Todd was the spark of many attacking raids, his speed off the mark and his silky smooth ball skills are a great addition to our squad, his combination with Mitchell was finely tuned, it looked like they had been playing together for years. Nobody got in each other’s way, no one overplayed their hand, it was a nice mix, Brian Smith is to be congratulated as this has obviously been worked upon during the off season.
Mitchell Pearce is quick, tough, skilful, has a winners attitude and a great kicking and passing game. His game on Sunday was top drawer. Let’s hope we will see the best of Mitchell over the next few years, very impressed by his decision making, he is maturing into a top class half back. Dally M winner perhaps.
It was great to see Mini back in full flight, bouncing of defenders, off loading and setting up a try in the second half with a deftly timed pass for Aidan Guerra to score. Speaking of the bench players, they were also outstanding, each one of them adding something to the side when coming on, Daniel Conn chimed in nicely, he looks fit and strong, Aidan Guerra also played very well in both attack and defence.
The bulked up Sam Perrett played strongly, as he always does, as did Phil Graham, who was solid for his first official hit out for the Roosters.
What about SKD in the centres, speed to burn, plenty of energy, plenty of runs out of trouble, a great intercept try that gave us a 12 point lead, less mistakes, two tries in total. Kenny-Dowall’s best game for some time, great to see faith shown in him from new coaching staff, according to commentators, Centre is where he played when the Roosters originally signed him.
Braith was pretty quiet however he copped a bad head knock and showed plenty of ticker to stay out there. It’s nice not to have to rely on Braith to create something form every set of six, I am sure Braith will enjoy the shared responsibility in 2010.
A great team performance, not a bad player from the Chooks on the field, everyone had a go, which is all the supporters can ask of their team. More of the same please in the coming weeks and months!!!
Try scorers - Mitchell Pearce 12th minute, Shaun Kenny-Dowall 28th, Sam Perrett 48th, Aidan Guerra 55th, Mitchell Pearce 63rd, Shaun Kenny-Dowall 72nd.
Goals - Todd Carney – 6 from 6
Roosters Completion Rate – 32/39 with 53% of the ball.
Top Tacklers - Nate Myles (38), Jason Ryles (28), Nick Kouparitsas (25)
Metres Gained - Shaun Kenny-Dowall (242), Sam Perrett (213), Todd Carney (148)
Hit Ups - Nate Myles (12), Daniel Conn (6), Jason Ryles (6)
Final Score – Roosters 36 defeated Rabbits 10.
Written by Scott Morrison (Labroy)
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, watching the mighty chooks give it to the bunnies 36 - 10! A fantastic start to the season, full of energy, toughness and skill, that should put a smile on all Roosters supporters faces.
The platform for the win was laid in the first ten minutes of the game, despite the Roosters giving away three penalties in the first seven minutes their defence held strong. South’s had most of the possession and attacked the Roosters line however the numbers in defence were there and so was the attitude that was missing for much of 2009.
After turning the Rabbits away the Roosters combined with some nice attacking plays, grinding their way up field with some tough dummy half running combined with some slick back line running and passing that saw Mitchell Pearce cross the stripe. SKD grabbed the second try in the 28th minute with an intercept that he took from a couple of metres from the Roosters line before running the length of the field to score.
The bunnies managed to score three minutes before the break. At oranges it was 12 – 6 to the Roosters however there was still much trepidation amongst Roosters supporters waiting for the second half despite the improved showing in the first half.
The Roosters dominated the second half however not before South’s winger, Nathan Merritt, dropped the ball with only 25 metres to go before scoring. The chase of Nate Myles, although not getting to Merritt, was outstanding and full of leadership.
After that point the Roosters went on the way. A freakish try to Sam Perrett from a tap back from Todd Carney whilst jumping from the field of play, over the dead ball line was great to watch.
Three more tries to Aidan Guerra, Mitchell Pearce and SKD kept the scoreboard ticking and the Roosters fan’s clapping and cheering.
A big stand up and cheer for Nate Myles who was outstanding, his work rate in defence was noteworthy however his aggression in defence added to his work rate could be a real bonus for the Roosters this year, Nate looks fitter than ever before and this showed in the way he carted the ball up tirelessly all day long with great impact.
Nate’s back row mates were not far behind, Mitch Aubbuson was outstanding in defence and attack, as was Tom Symonds before his freak injury (let’s hope it is a minor injury, we can’t afford to lose anymore back rowers) took him from the field late in the first half.
Our front rowers stood up to the much hyped and massive South’s forward pack. Lopini, Frank-Paul and Jason all played well, making plenty of yards through the middle and keeping the line tight in defence when required. The mix between James Aubbuson and Kouparitsas seemed to work ok, however more time is needed to see if this combination is up to the week to week grind of the NRL.
The obvious talking point is of course the way Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce played. I said this in the pre season article, Todd Carney could be the most important purchase our club has made since bringing Brad Fitler to the club. Todd was the spark of many attacking raids, his speed off the mark and his silky smooth ball skills are a great addition to our squad, his combination with Mitchell was finely tuned, it looked like they had been playing together for years. Nobody got in each other’s way, no one overplayed their hand, it was a nice mix, Brian Smith is to be congratulated as this has obviously been worked upon during the off season.
Mitchell Pearce is quick, tough, skilful, has a winners attitude and a great kicking and passing game. His game on Sunday was top drawer. Let’s hope we will see the best of Mitchell over the next few years, very impressed by his decision making, he is maturing into a top class half back. Dally M winner perhaps.
It was great to see Mini back in full flight, bouncing of defenders, off loading and setting up a try in the second half with a deftly timed pass for Aidan Guerra to score. Speaking of the bench players, they were also outstanding, each one of them adding something to the side when coming on, Daniel Conn chimed in nicely, he looks fit and strong, Aidan Guerra also played very well in both attack and defence.
The bulked up Sam Perrett played strongly, as he always does, as did Phil Graham, who was solid for his first official hit out for the Roosters.
What about SKD in the centres, speed to burn, plenty of energy, plenty of runs out of trouble, a great intercept try that gave us a 12 point lead, less mistakes, two tries in total. Kenny-Dowall’s best game for some time, great to see faith shown in him from new coaching staff, according to commentators, Centre is where he played when the Roosters originally signed him.
Braith was pretty quiet however he copped a bad head knock and showed plenty of ticker to stay out there. It’s nice not to have to rely on Braith to create something form every set of six, I am sure Braith will enjoy the shared responsibility in 2010.
A great team performance, not a bad player from the Chooks on the field, everyone had a go, which is all the supporters can ask of their team. More of the same please in the coming weeks and months!!!
Try scorers - Mitchell Pearce 12th minute, Shaun Kenny-Dowall 28th, Sam Perrett 48th, Aidan Guerra 55th, Mitchell Pearce 63rd, Shaun Kenny-Dowall 72nd.
Goals - Todd Carney – 6 from 6
Roosters Completion Rate – 32/39 with 53% of the ball.
Top Tacklers - Nate Myles (38), Jason Ryles (28), Nick Kouparitsas (25)
Metres Gained - Shaun Kenny-Dowall (242), Sam Perrett (213), Todd Carney (148)
Hit Ups - Nate Myles (12), Daniel Conn (6), Jason Ryles (6)
Final Score – Roosters 36 defeated Rabbits 10.
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