The Sydney Roosters have thwarted a late surge from the Penrith Panthers to prevail 22-18 in their SG Ball semi-final at UOW Jubilee Oval.
In a thrilling contest, the Roosters led by 16 points with 17 minutes remaining, before the Panthers mounted a charge to score two tries in the space of four minutes.
The defence of Sydney held strong for the last period of the game, stopping a number plays deep in their red-zone to grind out a hard-fought victory.
It wasn’t without controversy however, as Sydney fullback Bayleigh Bentley-Hape was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul with just under ten minutes remaining. He was joined in the bin just four minutes later by Penrith reserve Bradley Affleck, who committed a similar offence.
The match was fiery at times, with hard-hitting defence resulting in pushing and shoving on a number of occasions. Referee Tom Cambourn had to work particularly hard in the last stages of the game, as Penrith threw everything they had at Sydney, with both teams letting out frustrations.
Despite a fumble from the kick-off by Penrith, the early part of the match was a struggle for ascendancy, as both teams traded blows and looked to gain the upper-hand.
Penrith secured a number of repeat sets after eleven minutes of play, punishing Sydney for a knock-on, and forcing a drop-out. They couldn’t crack the defensive line however, and were forced to endure pressure of their own when Sydney kept them camped in their own half.
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First points came in the 19th minute when Roosters centre Shannon Gardiner used the full extension of his arm to plant the ball on the line in a tremendous show of determination. Penrith got into their groove, and were next to score, as Lindsay Smith crashed over next to the uprights, giving the Panthers a 6-4 lead.
Just as they did from the opening kick-off, Penrith again failed to complete a play as they dropped the ball from the restart. From the next set, Sydney found themselves back in control, as second-rower Jake Kambos barged his way over the line, giving the Roosters an 8-6 lead at half-time.
The wait for points in the second half wasn’t long, as Penrith made a mistake with their first touch of the ball, leading to the second try of the game for Kambos. Just five minutes later, Sydney was in for their fourth try of the game as Penrith’s Alfred Iva failed to diffuse a grubber, allowing Gardiner to capitalise and score his second try of the game.
The swell of momentum couldn’t be contained by Penrith, and although they regained composure, a costly mistake in their own half allowed Bayleigh Bentley-Hape to race to the corner and finish with an acrobatic dive to take the score out to 22-6 after 50 minutes.
After looking in control of the game, an error from Sydney gifted Penrith with possession, and they made the most of it, with Ryan Pritchard catching the defence off-guard from dummy half in the 53rd minute.
A line break from Penrith fullback Daine Laurie put them deep into the Roosters half just minutes later, and front-rower Bradley Gaut ensured a grandstand finish, muscling his way over to cut the margin to just four points.
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The Sydney Roosters have now won their last eight games, and head into next week’s preliminary final against Parramatta with plenty of confidence.