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Highlights: Roosters rise to beat Broncos 18-16

Boyd Cordner could return from a foot injury. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
Roar Guru
3rd June, 2017
9

Boyd Cordner capped off a phenomenal week leading his Roosters side to a 18-16 win over the Broncos at Allianz Stadium.

It was a match dominated by slippery conditions that resembled more an old fashion grind than the free flowing football that many came to expect.

That all changed in the dying stages with Cordner seemingly putting the game beyond doubt in the 71st minute after plucking the ball from a Jordan Kahu mistake to score.

The Chooks were up 18-6 with only 9 minutes left on the clock when Benji Marshall took the onus upon himself to bring the Broncos home with his ab-libbed style of play that we’ve all come to know and love.

It worked a treat as Brisbane went over twice in the final 5 minutes with tries to Oates and Moga through some wonderful build-up play by the former Golden Boot winner.

One of those plays was a grubber kick through to himself which he looked destined to collect only to be taken out off the ball to earn his side a penalty.

From the ensuring set he was able to send Moga over the line who then gave Kahu the chance to level it from the sideline.

Unfortunately for Brisbane the kick went wide and the Roosters went to fourth position while the Broncos dropped to fifth.

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For the majority of the match Brisbane lacked the polish that has become a real cornerstone of their season.

While the conditions didn’t help, they didn’t help themselves either, opting to push passes that would often find the turf.

The Roosters adapted early on and got into the arm wrestle through a high completion rate built on the back of quality kicking by hooker Jake Friend.

It took them 11 minutes to cash in when rookie centre Joseph Manu split Blair, Marshall and Thaiday before linking up with Gordon to score under the posts.

Marshall got Brisbane back on the saddle nine minutes later when he ran a great inside shoulder line off Thaiday to crawl across the strip for the Broncos’ opening points.

As each side continued to grind each other down throughout the first half, Captain Cordner was able to cash in minutes out from half-time when he staggered sideways across the line.

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Backing up from Origin 1, the skipper delivered an inspiring performance, running over 150 meters and clocking up 26 tackles in the process.

Daniel Tupou was taken off during the first half with a suspected groin strain and failed to return.

He’ll have until next Sunday to prove his fitness against the Tigers while the Broncos take on the Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium next Friday night.

Benji Marshall’s selection will no doubt come under the spotlight for all the right reasons after his magic almost sparked what could have been an unforgettable comeback.

With Milford set to return next week, Bennett and the coaching staff will no doubt have a few headaches naming their starting 17.

The Roosters on the other hand find themselves back in the top four after leapfrogging their opponents. While they had a number of strong individual performances across the night, it was their scramble defence that got them home.

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