Despite offering plenty of early resistance, the Wests Tigers have been defeated 30-6 by the Sydney Roosters in their Round 9 clash at Allianz Stadium.
Two first-half tries to winger Daniel Tupou set the tone for the hosts, who also added another long-range try at the break to Michael Jennings to take a 14-point lead into half-time which would not be overcome by the visiting Wests Tigers.
It was Tupou who crossed for the first points of the night in the ninth minute when he finished off a sharp right-to-left move. James Maloney couldn’t add the extras from the sideline, though, and the score remained 4-0.
Buoyed by a strong defensive performance, Wests Tigers threatened to hit back through Kurtis Rowe in the 18th minute after a sharp ball from Blake Austin, but Anthony Minichiello pulled the fullback down just short of the line.
Click here for full match highlights from our Round 9 clash against the Roosters!
Keith Lulia almost then crossed in the 24th minute after an intercept attempt, but he could not reel the ball in with the try-line seemingly at his mercy.
Despite heavy resistance from the Roosters’ attack, Wests Tigers appeared to have done enough to take a four-point deficit into the main break, but with five minutes remaining in the half, that lead was quickly blown out by the hosts.
First it was Michael Jennings who crossed under the posts in the 35th minute following a linebreak from Maloney, before Tupou added his second in the 39th minute after another sharp right-to-left move from the Roosters.
That saw the hosts take a 14-0 lead into the main break, with those two tries proving costly in Wests Tigers’ attempts to resurrect a comeback.
A frantic start to the second half that almost saw both teams score in the opening two minutes was soon compounded by a Wests Tigers error on halfway that gifted Jennings his second try of the evening. The centre picked up a loose ball and sprinted away from David Nofoaluma to score under the posts — giving the Roosters a 20-0 lead after 47 minutes.
The hosts appeared destined to score again in the 55th minute after Jennings broke away, but a superb cover tackle from Rowe denied the centre his third.
The Wests Tigers’ fullback was again on centre stage to sensationally rob Maloney of a try after he looked to plant it down on the line following a strong run.
However, he could do nothing about the Roosters’ third raid, which saw Tupou burst away down the wing before linking up on the inside with Boyd Cordner.
Maloney again couldn’t nail the conversion — leaving the score at 24-0.
The score could have been worse had Mitchell Pearce been able to catch a simple return pass from Williams with the try-line begging, but the halfback knocked on 20m out.
Chris Lawrence would snare some respectability back on the scoreboard after reacting quicker to a deflection off a Luke Brooks grubber — which was duly converted by Austin — but it was too little too late for the visitors against the defending premiers.
Mitchell Pearce added a late try for the hosts in the 74th minute after he scooped up a bomb that was spilled by Rowe to reinstate the 24-point lead.
And despite several late attacks from both teams, that was how the score would finish on the night, as the Sydney Roosters made it three NRL wins in a row.
Final: Sydney Roosters 30 def. Wests Tigers 6
