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This should have been a clash of titans. Instead, it was a cakewalk. The Panthers were exceptional, with Jarome Luai picking the best possible moment to reassert his case to start for New South Wales in Origin.
The five eighth was the best on ground, grabbing a late try to confirm a 42-4 scoreline after having earlier laid on three others for teammates.
The Roosters endured a terrible evening, with the contest over by half time and injuries kicking in. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves left with a pec strain, Joey Manu limped out with an ankle complaint and even Sam Walker, currently marooned in NSW Cup, missed the early game with a knee injury.
“We got beaten again on a lot of the effort areas,” said Trent Robinson. “We’re not moving for each other, we’re not in on kick pressures and kick chases. A lot of things that we started the year with have fallen completely away. We got an incredible lesson tonight.
“You can talk about attack and defence, but you can talk about getting a team ready to play and compete. I haven’t done that last week and this week and got bitten pretty hard tonight.
That’s on me and I have to make sure I get that right and turn it around pretty quickly.”
It was a night where everything went right on the left for Penrith. Scott Sorensen and Tyrone Peachey both got doubles outside of Luai, with winger Sunia Turuva also crossing.
On the other wing, Brian To’o also scored, courtesy of the most unlikely of assists, a crossfield kick from Isaah Yeo. It was that kind of night for Penrith, who recorded their biggest-ever win over the Roosters.
They call Luai the ‘Chief Energy Officer’, and energy is an appropriate way to describe the difference between these two, especially early on when it was still a contest.
Penrith approached their work with vigour, committed in defence and enterprising in attack.
There’s all the free stuff that the Panthers always do, but this was done with strategy too. The Panthers had watched all the tape on the inside right edge of the Roosters and were ruthless in prising it open with inside balls.
“It was pretty impressive,” said Ivan Cleary. “We started well with plenty of intensity and that had a fair say in how the rest of the first half went for us.
“I thought it was a really good tight tussle for the first 20, but the second try we scored was a huge try at that time, with both sides starting to tire after a ferocious opening stanza.
“The best part was that we kept it up. We came out after half time and dominated field position. Our defence was something like what we picture it being. I’m very happy.”
The Roosters, in comparison, turned in their most listless showing of a fairly listless season. After underwhelming last weekend at Magic Round, they were even worse tonight.
Robinson began the hard conversations at half time, kicking the support staff out of the dressing sheds to deliver a few hard truths, and they will likely continue long into next week.
Their silver lining is that they play the Dragons and Bulldogs, equally poor at the moment, next.
With Nicho Hynes breathing down his neck for the NSW 6 jumper, Jarome Luai needed to put in a performance tonight. He responded.
This was the best he has looked all year, tormenting the Roosters’ right edge with trademark elusiveness and footwork. Scott Sorensen was the beneficiary.
It was a stellar individual showing, but also one that emphasised how well Luai works as part of a supporting cast.
While it was the Samoa international who put the gloss on the moves, they were largely made in concert with Isaah Yeo in the ball-playing lock role and Nathan Cleary swinging across both sides of the field.
On the Channel 9 commentary, Blues coach Brad Fittler mentioned the telepathy that the Luai shares with his halves partner, and it was hard not to read plenty into his comments.
It’s his key selling point ahead of Hynes. While the Sharks star has been by far the better player over the last year – he won the Dally M, after all – he has done so as a 7, not a 6, and as the dominant player, which he will never be for NSW as long as Cleary is playing.
Origin is an all-star game, but a unique all-star game in that both sides give everything and take it seriously. Simply picking the best players isn’t the goal, picking the best team is. Luai reminded everyone why he might be in the best team tonight.
Hynes fluffed his lines last week against the Dolphins and will need to be at his very best on Sunday at Brookvale Oval. Luai has picked the perfect moment to shine.
At half-time, Robinson kicked the support staff out of the sheds, leaving himself alone with his men, presumably to deliver a few home truths.
Great coaches know that the spray only works if delivered infrequently, but if ever there was a time for the big stick to come out, this was it.
The first half was as insipid as a Roosters side has looked in a very long time. Robbo likes to talk about playing ‘Roosters football’, but honestly, it’s impossible to know what that is anymore.
In 2019, it was about expansive attacking and committed, often cynical defence. In 2023, they would kill for something to be cynical about.
The obvious points are there about lacking creativity in attack – despite having ditched their most creative player – and failing to get the most out of their yardage work, particularly Joseph Suaalii. He recorded 33 metres last week and 64m tonight.
More subtly, James Tedesco is having his quietest season in years and for all their off-field banter, Brandon Smith and Victor Radley still haven’t clicked
It speaks to a wider malaise. On last year’s late season run, this team kicked the front door in and played off the back of it. They isolated halves in the line and got their backrowers running over the top of them.
Now, it’s hard to see how they think they score tries. If you can’t throw punches, it’s only a matter of time before a good team like Penrith lands one of their own.
There’s a good, potentially great team in there. But we’re yet to see it in 2023. That’s why Robbo has to lay down the law. This isn’t a technical or tactical fix so much as it is a mental one.