The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Mackay Cutter: Ton up for Tedesco as hat trick tears Titans apart in Queensland

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Editor
7th May, 2022
2

A James Tedesco hat trick has powered the Sydney Roosters to a vital win over the Gold Coast Titans in a scrappy clash in Mackay.

The first of the night was his 100th in the NRL, achieved in just 189 first grade games, and the milestone crowned another man of the match performance from the Roosters fullback.

Tedesco had been the best on ground in defeat last week to the Canterbury Bulldogs and was a clear standout again, running for nearly 200m and touching the ball more than anyone other than Luke Keary alongside his three tries.

“I’m happy with my game,” Tedesco told media after the game. “I think tonight was probably our best team performance and I was just on the back of that.”

“Our forwards laid a good platform. Our halves took control, allowing me to just play my footy.

“The connection part was a big focus for us and I felt across the park everyone was connected and playing footy well.”

While Trent Robinson will undoubtedly be happy with the win and the resolve shown by his side, this was still a Roosters attack that was well short of its best.

44 points is comfortably the most that they have posted all year, but the Chooks were aided by some pathetic Titans tackling, particularly in an eleven minute period before half time in which three tries were run through the Gold Coast’s left edge.

Neither side was exceptional on their goal line defence, but the showing from the Titans was among the worst seen in the NRL in a long time. The Roosters could not believe their luck.

Advertisement

Questions will also be asked about the goalkicking – Toby Sexton, already the worst kicker in the comp with a near 50% record, missed a crucial first half penalty that could have shifted the momentum – and about the go-forward, with no Titans forward managing 100m and Kevin Proctor, in particular, only good for 16m in over an hour of footy.

“Really, really disappointing,” said Justin Holbrook of his team’s performance.

“We’d made a lot of inroads after last week, we put up a really good show (against Penrith) and then we slid right back tonight and collectively, we’ve let ourselves down.

“We were narrowing it down to just winning key moments in games and things like that over the last seven or eight rounds and tonight we got beaten everywhere – on attitude, on effort, on execution.”

Holbrook promised to ring the changes for next week, where the Titans will face the Dragons at Magic Round.

“We obviously need some personnel changes,” he said. “And that’s the difficult part when you’re not winning. You have to make changes and then you lose your cohesion amongst your side. But we can’t accept what we dished up tonight.”

It was a nightmare start for the Roosters. Joseph Suaalii fumbled a kick under little pressure and Beau Fermor was able to open the Titans’ account.

Advertisement

It was a lightning start in Mackay. The Roosters right edge conceded the first – Joseph Suaalii spilling the ball straight to Beau Fermor – but were behind for just a few minutes, with Joey Manu and James Tedesco combining for the fullback to score.

The Roosters lost Lindsay Collins for ten minutes after a shoulder charge, but even with the disadvantage, began to assert themselves on the Titans. It was Tedesco again who extended the lead, with Brian Kelly and Greg Marzhew unable to make the tackle. Justin Holbrook would have been livid.

Holbrook would have been even angrier that his team allowed a two-man overlap despite having a man extra, but Trent Robinson might have known how he felt: Paul Momirovski dropped the ball cold.

Not that it mattered: the Roosters went back to the right edge well and Suaalii strolled over through another horrendous Brian Kelly, Greg Marzhew co-production in defence.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Siosiua Taukeiaho crashed through yet more weak tackling. Sam Lisone did get one back, in highly fortunate circumstances as a kick ricocheted into his arms with the line clear in front of him.

Herman Ese’ese barged in from short range to get the Titans the first points of the second half and reduced the deficit yet further, before the Gold Coast finally managed to put in an extended period of defensive resolve to turn away several Roosters waves.

With Sam Walker removed for a HIA, the Chooks had to go back to the tried and tested. Luke Keary sent a steepler in the direction of Daniel Tupou, who caught high above Corey Thompson and spun over the line.

Advertisement

There was time for Tedesco to complete his hat trick – again, waltzing through ragged left edge defence from the Titans – and to add gloss to the scoreline, Sam Walker produced his trademark harbour bridge pass to Tupou.

Suaalii would add another to send the Mackay fans home happy.

close