Raiders roast chooksThe Canberra Raiders have kept their season alive with a resounding 38-12 victory over last year’s grand finalists the Sydney Roosters on Monday night at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The win was Canberra’s first win over the Roosters since 2008 and saw the Green Machine advance to 13th on the ladder by leapfrogging both the Roosters and the Parramatta Eels.
The Raiders registered seven tries to two, with centre Jarrod Croker amassing a personal tally of 18 points from two tries and five goals.
Whilst David Furner was pleased with the win and the maturity shown by his side, he was not getting carried away with the win and intended on keeping his troops grounded.
“The last two weeks have been the type of footy we need to play to obviously keep our season alive,” Furner said.
“It’s hard to sort of describe it as turning a corner...by no means are we out of the position we’re in, but that’s two weeks of pretty good football.”
The Raiders have been a vastly improved outfit over the last month and put in a thoroughly comprehensive performance. There was control, direction and purpose in all facets of the side’s play.
“I think that’s been one of the key differences; that control not just from our halves but from the whole team,” said skipper Alan Tongue.
“In a number of those games earlier in the year we turned over cheap possession or if we didn’t we were letting teams out of their own end by ill-discipline or giving away a penalty. I think we’re starting to learn how to control games of footy and...that’s what’s been a big difference in our team.”
The Roosters started the match in the worst possible fashion with Braith Anasta sending the kick off out on the full. The Raiders capitalised from the ensuing penalty, advancing up field where Josh McCrone attracted former Raider Todd Carney before throwing a lovely short ball to the ever-improving Josh Papalii to crash over. Croker converted.
McCrone was again the catalyst for the second try for Canberra, this time attracting Kane Linnet to allow Joel Thompson to touch down in the 12th minute. Croker again converting.
The Roosters hit back in the 20th minute as Carney shaped to pass before putting in a sublime cross-field kick to enable Sam Perrett to cross. Carney converted from the sideline.
A courageous Nathan Massey kick return set the platform for Canberra’s third try. The diminutive fullback bounced off Carney and then advanced twenty metres giving his side strong field position.
Then on the last tackle, McCrone’s kick rebounded off Carney into the waiting arms of Sam Williams. Williams’ was able to compose himself quickly and position Joe Picker to shrug off Roosters debuntant fullback Mark Khierallah on his way to the try line in the 25th minute.
However Carney had the final say three minutes before half-time when he put Tinirau Arona through a gap and then backed up to score adjacent to the posts. Carney converted to ensure the Roosters were still in the contest at 18-12.
However the Raiders ran away with it in the second stanza, compiling four tries and keeping the Roosters scoreless.
The best of the tries was the opening try to Blake Ferguson.
Fortune favours the brave, and Ferguson is amoung the bravest and boldest in the NRL. After reeling in a McCrone cut out ball on the Roosters forty metre line, Ferguson raced down the right hand touch line before chipping ahead. The bounce was certain to land in the hands of either McCrone or the converging Roosters’ defence, however it sailed above them all into the joyful hands of Ferguson.
Others to score in the second stanza were the two to Croker and one to Fensom; a just reward to the workaholic back rower who also made 37 tackles.
Another highlight of the contest was the maturity and composure portrayed by the young halves pairing of McCrone and Williams, who had five try assists between them.
“They were great,” said Anasta.
“They’ve been playing some really good footy. Williams has got the opportunity in the last few weeks with Orford not playing and he reminds me a lot of Jamie Soward actually; he’s quick and he’s got a good kicking game and he’ll get better with more confidence and the more games that he plays. McCrone’s been outstanding too the last month so they’ve got a good combination there.”
A torn bicep tendon injury to Tom Learoyd-Lahrs soured the win though for Canberra. Scans this week will reveal the extent of the injury to Learoyd-Lahrs.
“It’s devastating for him. He’s had a couple of injuries already and he’s just starting to put some footy together,” said Tongue.
Source: Raiders.com.au
Topic: Raiders roast chooks
