Tedesco Triple Topples Titans in Tropics

James Tedesco became the 76th player in history to notch up 100 tries in the top grade as he scored an emphatic hat-trick of tries, while Daniel Tupou leapfrogged former teammate Shaun Kenny-Dowall to become the Club's second-highest try scorer of all time with two four-pointers of his own. 

After being welcomed to Mackay with the sun beaming down throughout the week, the Roosters and Titans took the field to cool and overcast conditions with both the grandstand and hill filled to the brim.

Leading from the front, it was Jared Waerea-Hargreaves right into the thick of things on the very first hit up as the Tricolours trundled downfield into opposition territory - but a penalty in the ruck saw their opponents back in their own half. 

A few tackles later, Beau Fermor took advantage of a threatening grubber kick to pounce in the corner, with the Titans taking a 4-nil lead after as many minutes.

Looking to regroup after conceding early, the Red, White and Blue got to work with the ball in hand, and a right-side shift saw a weaving Joseph Manu provide Captain James Tedesco with his 100th NRL try in a scintillating movement. 

Despite the breezy conditions, Sam Walker coolly slotted the conversion to give the Roosters a 6-4 lead after seven minutes.

Easts were back in the red zone again following a penalty and looked to go wide, only for a lost ball to go to ground, while Paul Momirovski picked off a frantic Titans raid on sixth tackle before driving Corey Thompson into touch to put his side back in prime position.

A dropped ball over the line handed their opponents a chance to hit back, and following an accidental offside on the other side of the field, the Titans opted to kick for goal, only for the ball to ricochet off the upright and hand over another set of six on the line. 

The Bondi Wall proved too good on that occasion, absorbing wave after wave of attack, with a threatening chip and chase going down to the wire as the Roosters rolled downfield through Tedesco and Tupou right afterward.

A kick over the top of their own went awry, before Angus Crichton and Lindsay Collins dished out the damage to force the ball from Thompson, only for the front rower to be sin-binned for a dubious head high tackle call.

Down to twelve men for the next ten minutes, the Roosters were unfazed with their disadvantage in numbers as they headed back downfield, and soon enough Tedesco touched down in the corner for his second of the night to extend the lead through a brilliant individual effort.

With under fifteen minutes remaining in the first half, the Roosters took a 12-4 lead following Sam Walker's pinpoint sideline conversion.  

The Titans' ill-discipline saw the Tricolours back with another chance to extend, with a number of close calls finding Walker and Momirovski coming close to scoring before losing possession.

Crichton nearly found himself over wth a barging effort from the tap, but it was Joseph Suaalii emulating his teammate on the following play as he charged through off a Luke Keary cutout to score his second try in as many weeks. 

Walker's boots continued to provide the extras as his next conversion sailed between the posts, as the Roosters found themselves with a handy 18-4 lead with seven minutes left before the break - but they were certainly not done yet. 

With the wind and momentum behind them and now back to thirteen men, the Roosters continued their raid out wide, and Momirovski, Tedesco and Walker combined to put the side back in the box seat despite a handful of passes going to ground.

Sure enough, the scoreline extended as Siosiua Taukeiaho continued the streak to score in the same corner, and Walker's fourth consecutive goal saw the Tricolours extend their lead.

The bounce of the ball may have favoured the Titans soon after as another grubber provided points to Sam Lisone - but the Roosters maintained a dominant 24-10 lead as the sides headed to the sheds. 

A penalty on the resumption was far from ideal for Trent Robinson's men as they placed pressure on themselves to start the second stanza, and their lead soon shortened as Herman Ese'ese barged over the line. 

Toby Sexton's conversion saw the Roosters lead now at eight points after 45 minutes, with a quick turnaround needed to regain ascendency as they went head-on into the breeze.

Taukeiaho came short of bagging a double as he was held up over the line a couple of sets later, with both sides being guilty of ill-discipline on both sides of the field as a good-old-fashioned arm wrestle ensued.

Daniel Tupou may have missed his chance for an aerial assault as the breeze eluded the towering Tongan, but he was able to clean up the scraps of another grubber kick before Walker also cleaned up a charged down kick. 

The pressure of possession after defending multiple sets on the line didn't trouble the Bondi Wall as the Roosters looked to head back downfield - and it was Walker swooping on an intercept to streak downfield in an effort that got the crowd on their feet.

While the elusive five-eighth was forced to undergo a Head Injury Assessment on the following set, Tupou took to the air to score the next try from a Keary bomb, etching his name into Club folklore to go to outright second on the Roosters' tryscoring list. 

Paul Momirovski stepped up to the goalkicking plate, and despite the missed conversion, the Red, White and Blue held a 28-16 lead heading into the final quarter of the match. 

A knock-on from the kick-off saw a swift reaction from Tedesco to the referee to order a Captain's Challenge - which was successful - and the Roosters looked to cause some havoc of their own with the boot as they forced a drop out.

Tedesco then lit up the pitch once again, as he dummied through to score his third of the night - bringing the score to 34-16 following Momirovski's conversion with thirteen minutes left in the contest. 

Fatigue crept into camp as the Gold Coast looked to claw their way back, with an unsuccessful Captain's Challenge bringing Easts back into the fray, and Tupou was in for his second from a looping pass. 

His fellow winger Suaalii dived over to score soon after following another shift on the edge - with the Roosters coming away with a dominant 44-16 win in Mackay, much to the pleasure of the vocal Red, White and Blue crowd. 

 

Sydney Roosters 44 (James Tedesco 3, Daniel Tupou 2, Joseph Suaalii 2, Siosiua Taukeiaho tries; Sam Walker 5, Paul Momirovski goals) def Gold Coast Titans 16 (Beau Fermor, Sam Lisone, Herman Ese'ese tries; Toby Sexton 2 goals)