Round 14
Roosters 12 l. Warriors 22

2006 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Warriors upset Roosters
Sun June 11, 2006
The New Zealand Warriors have improved one position on the table with an upset 22-12 victory against the Sydney Roosters, which the loss for the Roosters has put a huge dent into their season.

It was impossible to think before the season started that the Roosters could miss the semi-finals but after 16 rounds they are four points outside of 8th position and six points behind 7th position. The Roosters did miss the Finals last year and they bought in the off-season snaring Braith Anasta and Ashley Harrison to fix their problems in attack. Harrison came to play representative and Finals football and Anasta said that the Bulldogs were a club going stale. Neither played today and effectively haven't been playing this season.

Roosters coach Ricky Stuart was forced to blood several new players with four players on State of Origin duty, Harrison suspended and both Anthony Mininichiello and Amos Roberts out injured. Fullback Shaun Foley and five-eighth Josh Lewis both impressed with Stuart after the match saying that both players are still a fair way from first grade football. It's kids like Foley and Lewis who the Roosters should be investing in rather than buying any big name player that comes on the open market.

Manu Vatuvei scored two tries for the Warriors with the first one coming after just four minutes when the Warriors caught the Roosters right side defence short.

Lewis celebrated his debut match with a good try when he grubbered for the ingoal only to rebound off the leg of Ruben Wiki and Lewis was on the spot to score next to the posts. Craig Fitzgibbon converted for the Roosters to lead 6-4.

The Roosters were right on top of the Warriors and their once feared defence was coming back and ironically it was pressure Roosters defence that forced the Warriors back only for them to spin it wide where they made another break down the Roosters right side defence with Brent Webb backing up on the inside to score. Tony Martin converted for the Warriors to lead 10-6 and took that lead into halftime.

Vatuvei scored his second try seven minutes into the second half to push the Warriors lead out to 14-6 and deft grubber into the ingoal area saw Martin pounce on the ball for the Warriors 4th try of the afternoon. Nathan Fien pushed the Warriors clear at 22-6 after 65 minutes with Martin's poor goal kicking keeping the Roosters alive in the match.

Charles Tonga was introduced into the match with 12 minutes remaining and attempted to revive the Roosters and finally afer mounted pressure scored through Foley to bring the margin down within two converted tries. Fitzgibbon landed a great goal from wide out to give the Roosters hope of another late comeback. Like in recent weeks, the Roosters left their comeback too late and the Warriors held on for a 22-12 victory.

The Roosters were bitterly disappointing as they still had Fitzgibbon, Adrian Morley, David Shillington, Anthony Tupou, John Doyle, Ryan Cross, Iosia Soliola and the highly rated boom youngster Jamie Soward in their line up along with many fine youngsters that have been a part of the boom Roosters lower grade outfits in recent years.

Pressure is going to mount on high profile Roosters coach Ricky Stuart as the club will be searching for instant answers as to why a club with so many fine players can be lowly placed on the table. The Roosters have many fine young players coming through the grades, a Premier League side in great form and yet they'll be in the market place buying players left, right and centre on the open market when it's their developed players who have been performing best. Two of the Roosters best in recent years, Cross and Morley, have been shown the door whilst no doubt during the week there will be massive interest in Roy Asotasi and they have been linked to Dragons duo Ashton Sims and Justin Poore.

The Warriors will be happy with the victory after many narrow misses this year but they are lacking composure and discipline to be a major threat on a consistent basis.

What should do the Roosters do?

Do they invest in the young kids they have in the club and build club spirit *or* should the Roosters continue in their tradition of buying players (even if they don't need them, eg, Ashley Harrison) that are on the open market?

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