Summary
A perfect night for the Roosters: two points, a comprehensive victory over finals rivals, a big step towards a top-four finish, Josh Morris’ 300th, and a headline grabbing cameo from Sonny Bill Williams.
Sydney were simply too good in all facets of the game for a willing but flawed Canberra outfit. Defensively the Roosters were resolute to anything thrown at them through the middle - and in Papalii and Bateman there is plenty to throw - and they were rarely brought to a sweat out wide. With ball in hand Crichton shone in the pack, Keary and Flanagan were neat and tidy in the halves, both executing superb kicking games, and then outside they have an all-star cast featuring the Morris brothers, the high-flying Tupou and the best in the business, James Tedesco. The fullback crossed twice in a 227-metre, two line-break, 15 tackle-break performance.
Canberra faded in the second half after holding their own early on. In part this was down to Papalii leaving the field after suffering an AC joint injury in the first half, but it was more to do with Sydney’s incredible defensive pressure. Wighton and Williams did well but they lacked creativity around them to unpick the meanest of defences. Back to the drawing board for Ricky Stuart, and the unenviable task of plotting a premiership from outside the top four.
Thanks for joining me tonight. We’ll be back to do this all again soon.
Updated
Raiders 6-18 Roosters
The Roosters are rolling towards the finals. Comprehensive victors over the Raiders in a tough contest. And Sonny Bill Williams got a light jog.
79 mins: Oooh, that was almost Williams’ moment! On the last tackle he timed his kick perfectly for the onrushing Wighton but his halves partner spilled the ball in the air. Had he come down in possession it would have been a welcome consolation score.
77 mins: The best Williams on the field tonight has been in green, but despite the Canberra half’s control of play, he hasn’t found a spark outside him to break through this resolute Sydney defence. His latest grubber looks pretty, but Tedesco has no worries touching down for a line drop-out at this late stage.
75 mins: The kick downfield is a good one - just - can Canberra set up a grandstand finish? A series of Raiders hit the line hard - Whitehead and Havili among them - but the Roosters defence is unmoved. Finally Williams goes through hands to the left wing, but it’s a ragged phase and ends with a predictable knock-on.
73 mins: The Raiders just cannot establish field position. They put a nice set together but it still ends with a kick inside their own half. Then after Sydney send them back where they came from they look to have fluffed their lines again but Cotric is reprieved when a penalty is called instead.
SBW is off - after 13 minutes. Nice work if you can get it. Does he have enough time to get up to speed before the finals?
70 mins: Sydney are suffocating Canberra now. Another solid set ends with a line drop-out. That becomes a set restart after four tackles. KEary, Tedesco and Josh Morris all then catch and pass at speed as the ball heads left. Then when they come back infield Keary tries to drop a goal - and he strikes the post!
68 mins: SBW has only been on the field about ten minutes and he is sucking in the big breaths, presumably wondering what he has let himself in for. He does his bit in the defensive line though and looks on as Bateman loses the ball in contact. The Raiders have failed to fire in this second half and they don’t look like staging a Wests Tigers-like comeback late on.
66 mins: At their best, Sydney must be the most imposing side in the competition. They have been short of manpower and form for large parts of this season, but when they click they are fearsome in both defence and attack. They have a tough run home, but with the scent of finals in their nostrils you can see them rising to the task.
Bad news for Canberra with Papalii done for the night with that shoulder injury sustained in the first-half.
TRY! Raiders 6-18 Roosters (Tedesco, 63)
Offload after offload for Sydney and Lussick has SBW on his right shoulder under the posts - but he ignores him! Not to worry, a tackle later the Roosters realise they have James Tedesco in their side and he scores a try. Flanagan did superbly in the lead-up, catching and passing in one movement with a tackler bearing down on him, but with the Raiders’ line broken, Tedesco stepped in from the right to create even more space, kicked for himself, saw it parried by Wighton, then he scooped it up with the minimum of fuss and darted under the posts.
Flanagan doesn’t miss from there.
Tedesco gets himself try number ✌#NRLRaidersRoosters#TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/JKIon0pof2
— NRL (@NRL) September 5, 2020
Updated
60 mins: Not long after SBW’s introduction there’s a turnover near halfway and the Raiders have their first attacking platform in an age. And it disappears like wasted youth with Havili at fault. Canberra are being slowly pummelled here. They need to arrest this avalanche of momentum.
58 mins: SBW is on the field! Boos ring out around GIO Stadium.
... and his first carry results in an offload.
56 mins: Deary me! Another powerful drive from Sydney, another bomb from Keary, and chaos in the Canberra defence. Valemei should claim the teaser but he allows it to bounce, and the Steeden jags sideways, wrongfooting half the field, then it dabs towards the line where Nicoll-Klokstad just about does enough to settle things down.
The Roosters can smell blood now though. With momentum they hammer down the middle, knocking on the door. Lussick is held up over the line, Cordner goes close, and another kick is allowed to bounce by the Raiders, but this time it’s harmlessly wide.
This is intense.
PENALTY! Raiders 6-12 Roosters (Flanagan, 54)
That was a clean strike, and the Roosters edge further ahead.
SBW is moments away.
54 mins: Crichton is having a super half - have I mentioned that? Another barnstorming run plus offload pummels the Canberra line and punches them back into their own half. Interference at the play the ball then invites Flanagan to kick for goal from fully 42m!
Meanwhile SBW is readying himself...
52 mins: Finally the Raiders get a breather. Another dangerous attack from Sydney, rumbling downfield for four tackles then spinning wide to the left through hands with great skill. The kick inevitably goes high to the right and Manu again leaps highest - but this time he spills the ball on his way down, and the Raiders can clear their lines. They don’t threaten with ball in hand though, getting about 30m from the Sydney line before Wighton drills the ball over the sideline.
50 mins: The Roosters are taking flight tonight. After Cordner was pounded in a ferocious tackle, Keary lofted the ball to the right corner and Manu came down with it, but despite the offload to Crichton Canberra do enough to smother the play. The Raiders have been forced to consolidate with their past three or four sets now. The Roosters building some momentum.
47 mins: Crichton is having a superb start to the half, and after another thumping run he finds Tedesco with the offload. In a flash the Roosters go from consolidating territory to threatening in attack. They back up the play with a forceful defensive set, one that requires Nicoll-Klokstad’s best effort to allow the turnover of possession to occur in the Roosters half.
45 mins: Another set restart, this time to the Roosters, gives them a full set in Canberra’s half. On tackle two they go through hands to the right wing, then Crichton munches some more metres to set up a huge opportunity. The kick is unsuccessful from Keary though, his first effort is low and blocked, then his follow up to Tupou is claimed by the flying winger, but he’s tackled well short of the line.
Keary is not taking any hit-ups to protect his ribs. That could be an opportunity for Canberra to exploit.
42 mins: Crichton and Cordner make good metres with the first set of the half, but Cotric makes a line break in response, then Nicoll-Klokstad drives them into Sydney territory. A set restart sets up a promising attack but there’s not enough guile and Flanagan reads Williams’ chip to perfection, earning a penalty in the process. Canberra have got to make the Chooks work much harder in those situations.
Great to have you on board. It does feel like a final, doesn’t it. And yes, it would be the troll to end all trolls, especially after committing to giving him minutes during the week. I imagine there’s some contractual obligations to settle, so I doubt we’ll enjoy such hilarity.
Highly entertaining stuff. As a Wiganer I’ve adopted Canberra as my team so it’s depressingly familiar as an England/GB fan seeing great defence keeping out my team.
I often comment here how much George Williams’s game has improved since he got to the NRL but great to see my favourite player Bateman score such a quality try. He actually looks a lot thinner than I remember him, unless it’s the dreadful haircut he is sporting.
We’re excited about the Bradford boy (haircut and all) lining up SBW when the superstar comes on.
So, when will we see SBW? I’m going for 55 minutes.
Canberra enjoyed five more complete sets in that half and ran for almost 200m more than Sydney. Papalii leads allcomers with his 115m, followed by Sutton with 103, then Tedesco with 100, but the Roosters fullback’s century was brought up in very different fashion - 12 tackle busts, a line-break, and a try. He is something else.
All those numbers help reinforce how good the Easts defence has been so far, marshalled by the ageless Brett Morris in the backs and youngster Freddy Lussick in the pack. The hooker has a game leading 41 so far.
Superb first half of rugby league, impossible to pick the winner (yes, I know kind of obvious with a 10-6 scoreline).
Agreed. Just a shame Canberra went on that run of unforced errors to gift Sydney their second try. I bet SBW is licking his lips getting stuck into a match this intense.
Half-time: Raiders 6-10 Roosters
That was a terrific half of football. High octane, full blooded, skill with ball in hand on both sides. The Roosters enjoy a slender lead courtesy of a Canberra brain fade around the 20-minute mark, but there’s nothing in this.
39 mins: Wonderful defence from the Roosters - Keary and Crichton - denying the flying Nicoll-Klokstad, but it’s adjudged a crusher, and the Raiders get another full set in point blank range. This one lacks cohesion though and after they lose metres sending the ball left, they overthink a switch to the right and there’s one pass too many and a knock-on. Sydney’s defence is majestic.
38 mins: Wighton again makes crucial yards for Canberra, he’s run superbly tonight. That sets up a kicking opportunity for Williams, and his crossfield floater is dropped by Tupou and the Raiders will have a full set 10m from the line.
36 mins: Canberra continue to ask questions through the middle, Bateman to the fore and both halves keen to carry and step. But this is a canny Roosters defence and they are tough to crack.
Tedesco has ten tackle busts already, lol.
34 mins: Brett Morris has been enormous in defence tonight. Yet again he’s on the spot to collect a Wighton grubber with Raiders bearing down on him. Canberra then execute their best defensive set for an age, denying Sydney any chance of carrying the ball out of their own half.
32 mins: A good couple of carries for Canberra, from Wighton then Butcher, establishes solid field position. They’re playing against James Tedesco though, and he turns a conservative set into a blistering one with a trademark run full of wiggles and shimmys. By tackle four the Roosters can go through hands to the left edge, and they do so beautifully, Crichton spinning it wide to Tupou, who tries to send it back in to Josh Morris but the veteran fumbles with a try begging. A captain’s challenge to try to identify a knock-on from the Raiders fails.
30 mins: The Raiders are building a head of steam again. An attacking set ends on the left wing with Croker close to the line, but on the receiving end of a penalty for a second flop in the tackle. Wighton then guides them left and right, probing for a gap, but this is the Roosters, and no openings are forthcoming. The final kick is plucked out of the sky by Brett Morris and Sydney escape.
28 mins: Canberra need a set - and they get one. Papalii at his bullocking best, offloading brilliantly after knocking down a henhouse full of Chooks. Williams kicking early in the set, turning Brett Morris on his heels and forcing a line drop-out.
26 mins: The Raiders were always going to get punished for that succession of errors. You can’t give Easts the ball like that so often and expect to escape unscathed. From the restart Sydney attack with menace again. On tackle four they spin the ball wide through Tedesco and Morris before Tupou has a glimmer of space that is necessarily closed by Rapana. That was a crucial tackle.
TRY! Raiders 6-10 Roosters (Tupou, 22)
The Roosters keep things down the middle and another Canberra penalty, this time Nicoll-Klokstad interfering with Lussick, offers them an ideal attacking platform. From the scrum they head left before they’re repelled. Then they cut right, forcing Morris to show all his experience to keep the ball alive. Then on the last tackle Flanagan executes the perfect floated high kick to the left corner, inch perfect for the high flying Tupou to climb miles above the Canberra defence, collect the ball and touch down.
Flanagan misses the conversion from the touchline.
Tupou plucks it out of the sky 🙌#NRLRaidersRoosters#TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/gtNWjoZSPv
— NRL (@NRL) September 5, 2020
Updated
20 mins: Four solid tackles from Easts with JWH eating up the metres. Then Flanagan grubbers through but Canberra are alert, and then handed a sloppy penalty. They cough up possession soon afterwards though, setting the Roosters on their way 30m from more points. Both sides are making unforced errors in this high tempo clash.
18 mins: Another lively set from Canberra, orchestrated by the influential George Williams, leads to a second line drop-out of the night. The first drive back towards the Easts defence ends with Papalii grimacing and slow to return to his feet, clutching his left shoulder. That seems to suck the wind from the Raiders’ sails and two tackles later Wighton throws a shocking pass that skids along the turf before being intercepted. Soon after that the Roosters get a penalty, gifting them a set 30m from Canberra’s line.
16 mins: The Roosters need a settler of a set and a characteristically eel-like run from Tedesco gives them good field position and allows Keary to kick high for Nicoll-Klokstad to claim close to his line. They undo all of that good work though, gifting a set restart on the last tackle with the Raiders on halfway.
13 mins: From the restart Canberra unload at speed. They are on tonight. After a couple of drives down the middle they cut left and send the ball through hands at lightspeed until Valemei goes for a gallop along the whitewash. He has a tough decision to make, whether to go for himself, cut inside and take the tackle, or throw the pass. He chose the latter and Brett Morris was alert, sharking the intercept.
Updated
TRY! Raiders 6-6 Roosters (Bateman, 10)
Can the Roosters ram home their early advantage? Not immediately, Lussick earning a falcon from a JWH offload he wasn’t expecting. That invites the Raiders to attack in dangerous territory and they hammer the line time and again through Papalii and Tapine, but both are held up inches short. A neat kick forces a line drop-out.
The repeat set is similarly frenetic with the Roosters forced to defend through the middle, then wide when the Raiders go through hands to the left, but they are finally undone. On tackle five the kick to the right corner is won by Rapana, he shovels it back to Bateman who darts off the line, chips ahead and chases his own kick, touching down to the delight of the partisan home crowd.
Superb attacking footy from Canberra and some individual brilliance from Bateman.
Croker nails the conversion.
What a try 🔥 Big Johnney#NRLRaidersRoosters#TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/FYHbjiuHA4
— NRL (@NRL) September 5, 2020
Updated
TRY! Raiders 0-6 Roosters (Tedesco, 6)
First penalty of the night goes to the Raiders for offside, but Wighton doesn’t make touch with his kick, Tupou doing superbly on the left wing to palm the ball back into play. They use their unexpected drive to hammer downfield before forcing Nicoll-Klokstad to defuse another bomb. But early in the Canberra set there’s disaster, Valemei at fault, and it leads to a turnover just 10m out in front of the posts. A quick play the ball later and Tedesco busts through the yet to settle defensive line.
A gift of a start for Sydney. A catalogue of errors for Canberra.
Flanagan adds the extras.
Teddy does it himself 👌#NRLRaidersRoosters#TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/uTOiUEmbvj
— NRL (@NRL) September 5, 2020
Updated
4 mins: Another solid drive from the Raiders but it’s the Roosters who are enjoying slight territorial advantage. That means that when JSW offloads on tackle four after gaining 25m with his run Easts are in dangerous field position. The resulting kick is high to the right - and Morris claims it - but he’s quickly wrapped up 10m from the line.
2 mins: Canberra have the first carry and it’s as you’d expect, straight up the guts with Papalii, Bateman and co heavily involved. Waerea-Hargreaves leads the chase the other way, with both sets punctuated by excellent fullback catches from high bombs.
Just an early word for the surface - GIO Stadium looks magnificent.
Peeeeeeeeeeppppppppp!
Underway in Canberra. ( SBW still on the bench.)
The teams are out at GIO Stadium, the Roosters are wearing their familiar tricolour jersey, white shorts and hooped socks. The Raiders are rocking radioactive green.
Here we go, this is going to be a belter.
We’re in Canberra tonight, so it’s obviously going to be a bit chilly. Otherwise conditions are excellent, still and dry.
We're just about ready for a battle in Canberra 😤#EastsToWin #NRLRaidersRoosters pic.twitter.com/36DLmcSMaF
— Sydney Roosters 🏆🏆 (@sydneyroosters) September 5, 2020
Oh boy, we’re in the dying stages of the Manly v Wests curtain-raiser, and the Tigers have come from 32-18 down on the 69 minute mark, to lead 32-34 with a minute left on the clock.
Des Hasler’s outfit are in free-fall! This will be six defeats in a row.
Nick Tedeschi had his say on the return of the prodigal Sonny Bill a few weeks ago. You can read it here:
It has been an extraordinary posture to adopt on a player who has played just 46 games of top-flight rugby league in 13 years and who walked out on the code less than one year into a five-year deal. This kind of red-carpet treatment would be expected for an Immortal but it is hard to grasp why the NRL would be so effusive to an ageing player in the dying days of his footballing career.
Roosters XVII
The big selection news for the Roosters is the omission of Jake Friend with the club taking a cautious approach to the rake’s recent concussion. Freddy Lussick comes in for his first career start after two appearances off the bench.
Only kidding! SBW is back.
Luke Keary also returns at five-eighth after a couple of weeks on the sidelines to resume his partnership with Kyle Flanagan. Selection and injury have kept the pair apart since round 12.
Josh Morris will run out for game number 300. “I’m very excited to reach the milestone, it’s been fourteen years in the making,” he said earlier this week. Adding, ominously: “The last 50 games have probably been the most enjoyable, and I feel like I’m playing some of my best football as well.”
1. James Tedesco
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Josh Morris
4. Joseph Manu
5. Brett Morris
6. Luke Keary
7. Kyle Flanagan
8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
14. Freddy Lussick
10. Siosiua Taukeiaho
11. Boyd Cordner (c)
12. Sitili Tupouniua
13. Isaac Liu
INTERCHANGE
15. Lindsay Collins
16. Nat Butcher
17. Sonny Bill Williams
18. Angus Crichton
Aw hey! 🙋♂️ @SonnyBWilliams #EastsToWin #NRLRaidersRoosters pic.twitter.com/FABmYGhcaS
— Sydney Roosters 🏆🏆 (@sydneyroosters) September 5, 2020
Raiders XVII
Curtis Scott misses a week with a leg injury, one of two changes for the Raiders with Matthew Timoko also missing out. In come Corey Harawira-Naera and Semi Valemei.
Expect Canberra to fly out of the blocks tonight and banish any memories of last week’s first-half against the Bulldogs when the cellar dwellers snagged four tries against the Raiders before the break.
Looking forward to John Bateman welcoming SBW back to the NRL.
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2. Jordan Rapana
3. Jarrod Croker (C)
5. Nick Cotric
21. Semi Valemei
6. Jack Wighton
7. George Williams
8. Josh Papalii
14. Tom Starling
10. Ryan Sutton
11. John Bateman
12. Elliott Whitehead
13. Joe Tapine
INTERCHANGE
9. Siliva Havili
15. Dunamis Lui
16. Hudson Young
17. Corey Harawira-Naera
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to a Sonny Bill Williams special edition of the Guardian MBM. We’re bringing you all the action from Gio Stadium where SBW returns to the NRL for the Roosters as they take on the Raiders. We’ll be underway around 7.35pm.
Of course, there’s much more to enjoy tonight than a 20-minute cameo from a 35-year-old whose last assignment was in the rugby league heartland of Canada.
For starters, there’s the battle for a place in the top four. As things stand there’s probably only room for one of last year’s grand finalists to earn a double chance this time around. After 16 rounds Easts and Canberra are separated only by points difference with the Roosters in fourth and the Raiders fifth. Ahead of them Parramatta, Melbourne and Penrith look to have three of the top spots secured, giving tonight the feel of an eliminator. Remember, no team has won from outside the top four in the NRL era.
It’s a terrific rivalry to feature such high stakes too. Ricky Stuart does not get on with Trent Robinson and Sticky will doubtless be holding a grudge from last year’s grand final when his Raiders appeared the better side over the 80 minutes only to see Robinson’s Roosters lift the trophy, aided by some questionable officiating.
Some measure of revenge was extracted as recently as 16 July, with Canberra coming out on top in their last encounter, at the SCG. The margin that night was just four points, a reflection of how well matched these sides are. The last six clashes between the pair have been settled by eight points or fewer.
Then there’s Josh Morris’ latest milestone. Tonight the ageless warrior notches up 300 first grade appearances, becoming just the 41st man to accomplish the feat.
But yeah, there’s Williams. Back in the NRL for the first time since 2014, via the All Blacks, the boxing ring, and North America. “We’re really excited about having Sonny get started with us and the external focus will be large on that, which is great and really important as a Rooster and a fan of rugby league,” Robinson said during the week. “I’m really excited and I think it’s great for the game and great for fans to watch.” Let’s find out if he’s right...
Remember, if you want to get in touch at any point, you can reach me on Twitter or email
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just signed up so i can talk about this game.
has a semi final feel so far, excited for the second half.
would be a funny troll of Robbo if he kept Sonny on the bench for the entire second half too.