Source : the age
Kick-off time, and the Roosters get things started tonight, Braydon Trindall bringing down the kick and sending Addin Fonua-Blake on his way for the game’s first hit-up.
Trindall is the one who gets the kick away on the last tackle, and he’s hit hard in the process by Victor Radley – who manages to avoid giving away a penalty despite the officials’ focus on late tackles on kickers this season.
Even better for the Roosters, they quickly earn the game’s first line break through Salesi Foketi down the left. One tackle later the Tricolours swing the ball to the right, Daly Cherry-Evans sending Lindsay Collins over for the game’s opening try after just a couple of minutes.
And Nicho Hynes has gone off for a HIA after going low in a tackle on Foketi and copping a knock to the head.
What a start for the Chooks. Disaster for Cronulla.
Roosters 6, Sharks 0 after three minutes
Just a couple of minutes until kick-off now. Here is the path of every finals team so far – the winner of tonight’s match will go on to face the Dolphins next week for a place in the grand final.
Across the remaining finals teams, the offensive linchpins and most important players are obvious. Nathan Cleary at Penrith. Newcastle, Kalyn Ponga. For the Roosters, while Sam Walker is injured, it’s James Tedesco. Isaiya Katoa is the Dolphins’ main man.
But Braydon Trindall’s recent absence at the Sharks has only rammed home the unavoidable.
The 27-year-old is the single most indispensable player in their attack, and on a salary of about $700,000 a year, does so at excellent value.
Of those key playmakers, the likes of Cleary, Ponga, Walker and Tedesco all earn $1 million and above, while at Cronulla, Nicho Hynes and Addin Fonua-Blake pull in seven-figure pay packets, too.
Trindall leads the NRL with 31 try assists this season despite his injury lay-off.
The final hurdle has been cleared for Peter V’landys to become the NRL’s first executive chairman after club chairs offered their unanimous support for the move.
The chairs of the clubs and state leagues took part in a phone hook-up on Saturday morning to discuss the ascension of V’landys to the new role. While Melbourne chair Matt Tripp and Wests Tigers counterpart Barry O’Farrell sent their apologies, all other officials backed the move during a half-hour conversation that began at 10:30am.
The appointment is expected to be rubber-stamped at a board meeting of the Australian Rugby League Commission scheduled for Wednesday.
The role will give V’landys unprecedented control over the game, but the club and state heads feel there are sufficient guardrails in place to ensure protections. His tenure will be for an initial three-year term, a move V’landys himself proposed to ensure good governance.
What sets Mark Nawaqanitawase apart is not the volume and frequency of his four-pointers, but the manner in which they are scored. In a game ruled by numbers, there is no statistic that adequately captures the sheer freakishness of many of the Roosters winger’s tries. Like the audacious intercept he took against Penrith last weekend.
“I’ve had front-row seats, so I’ve enjoyed them all,” says Nawaqanitawase’s centre partner, Robert Toia.
“It’s hard to pick one [favourite], but there’s definitely the Bulldogs one … ”
Ah, the Bulldogs one. Judged as last year’s Dally M try of the year, some pundits have even hailed it the greatest try in history. Working in an impossibly tight channel, “Marky Mark” kicked ahead for himself – avoiding the sideline, the Canterbury cover defence and the corner post – to somehow regather and ground the Steeden in-goal.
Sydney Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Hugo Savala 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Naufahu Whyte 9. Reece Robson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Salesi Foketi 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley
Interchange: 14. Connor Watson 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Nat Butcher 17. Angus Crichton 18. Cody Ramsey 22. Toby Rodwell
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 22. Mawene Hiroti 4. KL Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Jesse Colquhoun 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes
Interchange: 3. Riley Jones 14. Siosifa Talakai 15. Billy Burns 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Thomas Hazelton 20. Niwhai Puru
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has confirmed Angus Crichton will make a long-awaited return from injury after a false start last week, and also revealed halfback Sam Walker is a strong chance to play in next weekend’s preliminary final should his side progress that far.
Crichton hasn’t played since round 15 after suffering a right navicular (foot) injury, which required minor surgery. However, he has been named on the bench to take on Cronulla in Saturday night’s elimination final clash at Allianz Stadium after having been a late scratching last week.
Robinson described the NSW and Australian forward as “ready to go” and said he had no qualms about throwing him into an elimination clash after such a long lay-off.
“I don’t think the standard of the game changes when it comes to Angus,” Robinson said on Friday. “I just think it’s the time out with the injury and managing the minutes he’ll get on the field. That’s the only thing, but he’s played enough of these quality games to be ready to go back in.
“He wasn’t ready to go last week, simply put. That was the truth of it. He still had some issues last week, but he hasn’t had them this week, so he’s ready to go.”
Sharks playmaker Braydon Trindall says his shoulder injury has improved during the week after clearly struggling at times on the field in last weekend’s win over the Cowboys.
“Yeah it’s feeling much better. A couple of stingers last week, I definitely felt that, but it got through the week OK and it’s feeling alright at the moment,” Trindall tells Fox Sports.
“It’s just accepting that it’s going to hurt, and putting your body on the line in these big games for your teammates.”
Trindall says halves partner Nicho Hynes took plenty of confidence from last week’s win, having thrived with Trindall back in the side.
“I think it gave him a bit more confidence to cruise around the field and do what he does best – pick his moments, run the ball, and chime in when he can, and I think he got a lot of confidence from last week.”
