The Sydney Roosters have surged into third position on the competition ladder with a dominant 36-18 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons at Allianz Stadium.
The clash was branded as the highlight of the round as two top four contenders battled it out. However, the Roosters made Paul McGregor’s men look like one of the competition’s also-rans.
Latrell Mitchell starred for the Tricolours, scoring three of their seven tries as they reaffirmed their tag as premiership contenders.
The first try came in the eighth minute when Mitchell powered past Euan Aitken, Jason Nightingale and Ben Hunt on the way to the corner.
The Roosters soon after went back-to-back when Mitchell streaked down the touchline and linked with Blake Ferguson. He kicked infield and James Tedesco collected the ball in a stunning effort.
It was beginning to get embarrassing for the Red V early, with Trent Robinson’s men extending their lead in the 22nd minute when an inside ball from Cooper Cronk to Tedesco saw the fullback stream through and find his halfback in support.
The Dragons looked to be heading into the sheds scoreless after struggling to crack the relentless Roosters, only for Ben Hunt to take the line on and cross in the 40th minute to give his side some much-needed confidence.
Unfortunately, it counted for little as Mitchell had a double eight minutes into the second half when he grounded a split bomb by Jason Nightingale.
The barnstorming centre had a hattrick by the 54th minute after he steamrolled past three defenders before crashing over.
Tedesco nabbed his second of the night eight minutes later when he scooped up a Gareth Widdop grubber and sprinted 80 metres to score.
However, the Dragons eventually hit back when Hunt stepped through the line to score in similar fashion to his earlier try.
The Tricolours reasserted their dominance in the 71st minute when Blake Ferguson streamed through for a try off a lovely short ball by Mitchell Aubusson.
While it was a strong overall display by the Roosters, coach Robinson wouldn’t have been too happy with the finish after Tariq Sims barged over for a soft try in the 76th minute.
In the end, it was the Roosters claiming a 36-18 win and they will look to win their eighth game from nine attempts when they battle the Cowboys next week.
Meanwhile, the Dragons will look to bounce back against the equally desperate Warriors.
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