Source :- THE AGE NEWS
The Roosters are “confident” Sam Walker will return from injury alongside veteran Daly Cherry-Evans in his storybook showdown with the Dolphins after the Tricolours first outmuscled, then outgunned Cronulla 46-10 at Allianz Stadium.
The Sharks lost their own million-dollar No.7 Nicho Hynes within 90 seconds to a head knock and conceded the first try of the evening just two tackles later.
But even with centre Mawene Hiroti (knee) also ruled out of the contest when he collided with the advertising boarding, reducing Cronulla to 15 fit players for an hour, Craig Fitzgibbon’s side hardly wilted.
Instead, it took another piece of out-and-out Mark Nawaqanitawase magic to truly spark the Tricolours, along with a superb solo act from Cherry-Evans himself to ensure neither departing Rooster was playing their last game for the club.
As is the way when this star-studded side is on a roll, the rugby-bound Nawaqanitawase finished with a double. Cherry-Evans helped himself to three try assists.
The Redcliffe-based Dolphins and a sold-out Suncorp Stadium in next Friday night’s grand final qualifier now await.
It is a tantalising scene on so many levels. Not least because Cherry-Evans, 37 and now playing every game because it can well and truly be his last on Australian soil, took his first furtive steps in rugby league as an eight-year-old for Redcliffe almost 30 years ago, where his dad and uncle both played as well.
With another week to heal from the syndesmosis surgery that was feared to have ended his season, superstar No.7 Walker will do everything in his power to play as well.
“I’m pretty confident with what I’ve seen,” Robinson said of Walker, who is eyeing a four-week return in the preliminary final.
“He’s had really good progression, but we’ll get a good gauge on Monday or Tuesday.
In front of 39,147 at a heaving Allianz Stadium, the Roosters held an 18-10 half-time lead, yet two ugly unforced errors after the break set a tone Roosters fans know and fear all too well.
Enter Nawaqanitawase. With the kind of audacious flick pass he produces so often it is somehow in danger of becoming ho-hum, he and Rob Toia set in motion a rambunctious try that went through several sets of hands before Connor Watson dived over.
“It’s been probably five to six weeks since I’ve seen us flick the ball and pass the ball and that’s a signature of ours when we’re humming,” Robinson said. That was a big play in the context of our game.”
The coach wasn’t wrong. This was the four-pointer that truly gave the Roosters breathing room. Cherry-Evans’ 27th-minute stepping, swivelling effort from close-range didn’t hurt either.
Not when Braydon Trindall and Blayke Brailey had threatened enough through the ruck to engineer two Sharks tries in three minutes, even without Cronulla’s recognised halfback.
Even after Watson’s try, the Sharks kept coming. A tight, but technically correct double movement call denied Teig Wilton. A desperate try-saving tackle from Billy Smith shot down Trindall when the line beckoned.
And then, the Roosters weren’t just coming. They were gone. Cherry-Evans set up a couple. He was placed on report for tripping Wilton but won’t face anything more than a fine. Skipper James Tedesco joined the party after making 11 tackle breaks, as did Rob Toia after his own excellent outing.
Watson and Reece Robson were fantastic through the middle too, while the Sharks didn’t deserve to have so many points put on them or have their season end so brutally.
Cherry-Evans knows all too well he’s every chance of not getting his ultimate farewell premiership fairytale either.
But a showdown with the Dolphins – where it all started for him three decades ago – isn’t a bad place to start next Friday.
Of all the weeks to not cop a head knock in the first two minutes of a match, the penultimate weekend in September would be very high on Nicho Hynes’ list.
To then watch his opposing halfback, Daly Cherry-Evans, set up a try and kickstart a thumping 46-10 Roosters win at home, only made it harder to take.
Nicho Hynes was forced from the field in the opening minutes for a HIA moments after Lindsay Collins scored the first try of the night.
Hynes’ night lasted just 90 seconds, cut short in cruel fashion after he failed a head injury assessment following a tackle gone wrong on Cronulla’s fourth of the night.
The Roosters are “confident” Sam Walker will return from injury alongside veteran Daly Cherry-Evans in his storybook showdown with the Dolphins after the Tricolours first outmuscled, then outgunned Cronulla 46-10 at Allianz Stadium.
The Sharks lost their own million-dollar No.7 Nicho Hynes within 90 seconds to a head knock and conceded the first try of the evening just two tackles later.
But even with centre Mawene Hiroti (knee) also ruled out of the contest when he collided with the advertising boarding, reducing Cronulla to 15 fit players for an hour, Craig Fitzgibbon’s side hardly wilted.
Instead, it took another piece of out-and-out Mark Nawaqanitawase magic to truly spark the Tricolours, along with a superb solo act from Cherry-Evans himself to ensure neither departing Rooster was playing their last game for the club.
And so the Roosters march on to the preliminary finals, where they’ll face the Dolphins for a shot at a grand final berth. They’ve felt bound for the decider for much of the season, and will be confident of grabbing a win on the road against the first-time finalists.
For the Sharks, a familiar story – a comfortable finish inside the top eight before an exit midway through the finals series. It’s a sad farewell for Cameron McInnes, who departs the NRL for the Super League next year, while Craig Fitzgibbon’s men will wonder what may have been had Nicho Hynes not been knocked out in the opening minutes.
Full-time: Roosters win 46-10 at Allianz Stadium
This is becoming backyard footy stuff for the Roosters now, with the backline toying with an exhausted Sharks defence and Mark Nawaqanitawase scoring again after chasing down a cheeky grubber kick.
The half century is in reach, and it’s turned into a very painful night for Cronulla.
Roosters 46, Sharks 10 with six minutes left
Robert Toia is having a big game for the Roosters and now he turns provider, running off Daly Cherry-Evans and immediately popping a nice pass on his inside for James Tedesco who reaches out to score.
Razzle dazzle stuff now for the Roosters as they reach 40 points.
Roosters 40, Sharks 10 with 10 minutes left
The Roosters are one of the most lethal attacking sides in the league when they’re on – they did score 82 points in a game this season – and they’re clicking now, Daly Cherry-Evans sending up a nice bomb and Robert Toia out-jumping Sione Katoa to grab it and score.
This scoreboard could get out of hand for Cronulla in these final stages, though there’s not a lot of motivation left for the Sharks with their season just about over.
Roosters 36, Sharks 10 with 12 minutes left
And that’s the nail in the coffin for the Sharks’ season. The Roosters sweep upfield and execute nicely in close range, with a few short passes around the ruck between Reece Robson and Victor Radley before Daly Cherry-Evans swings a long cutout pass to an unmarked Mark Nawaqanitawase who scores on the right.
It’s been a gutsy performance from Cronulla but they’ve been outmatched tonight, especially with Nicho Hynes sidelined for almost the entire contest.
Hugo Savala even slots the sideline conversion.
Roosters 30, Sharks 10 with 15 minutes left
Will Kennedy is penalised after he and James Tedesco leap for a Sharks bomb and clash in the air, but Cronulla are soon back on the attack and this time Teig Wilton does a great job to shrug out of a couple of tackles and get to the tryline.
The bunker checks whether there’s a double movement, and they find one – but Daly Cherry-Evans had stuck a leg out in a tripping motion on Wilton in the lead-up and is penalised.
On the next set Braydon Trindall has a lovely move with Billy Burns and gets over the try line – but drops the ball over the line. That hurts for Cronulla.
Roosters 24, Sharks 10 with 19 minutes left
The Sharks have been defending well in this second half and it seems it’ll take something out of the ordinary from the Roosters to break it – so they deliver one of the great team tries of the season. A shift to the right puts Mark Nawaqanitawase into a bit of space, but not enough for even the freakish winger to score – so instead he flicks a pass around his back before being bundled over the sideline.
The Roosters pick up on Marky Mark’s cue and start playing hot potato, a series of short passes ending when Connor Watson beats a tackle and runs clear to score between the posts.
The raid began with a pretty harsh six-again in centre field, and amongst the classy play on offer tonight tries from six-agains have also been a theme of this game so far.
Roosters 24, Sharks 10 with 27 minutes left
Braydon Trindall forces another dropout with a clever grubber kick, and the Sharks test out the Roosters’ goal-line defence with a strong attacking set, but the Chooks’ defence is even better.
But the Roosters’ biggest flaw this season has been errors and they cough up another one now coming out of their own end with Nat Butcher knocking on. It’s another wave of attack from the Sharks, but this time Robert Toia leaps well to snuff out a chip kick from Trindall.
Roosters 18, Sharks 10 with 32 minutes left
