Sydney Roosters soar to second place with 48-20 Titans rout

The Sydney Roosters climbed to the second spot on the NRL ladder after a dominant 48-20 win against the Gold Coast Titans.

The Roosters put on a strong performance, scoring nine tries compared to the Titans four, asserting their superiority, and moving them into a $3.60 third favourite to claim the NRL Premiership with the leading NRL bookmakers.

With matches against the Raiders in round 26 and the Rabbitohs in round 27 remaining in the season, the Roosters are well positioned to keep hold of second place and host a home game in the finals.

However, Sunday’s victory came with a few setbacks, as Joseph Aukuso Sua’ali’i sustained a shoulder injury in the opening half and four Roosters players were reported for incidents during the game.

Early reports indicate that Sua’ali’s injury may not be severe, with hopes that it’s a minor issue like a stinger and that he will be available to play in the NRL finals.

The team will also anxiously await Monday morning, when the match review committee will reveal any charges following Jared Waerea Hargreaves being sent off for a high tackle on Sam Verrills.

Waerea Hargreaves only just returned to play after serving a four-game suspension for another tackle in Round 18.

Waerea Hargreaves is wrapping up his season in the NRL, and his less than stellar performance may pose a challenge as he aims for a comeback on the field this year.

Sua’ali’i and Daniel Tupou were both cautioned for tackles, while Spencer Leniu was flagged for a shoulder charge and will be reviewed by the match review committee.

Sunday’s game effectively dashed any remaining hopes of the Titans making it to the finals, with Des Hasler’s team now trailing by six points outside the eight with two matches left.

The match was a letdown for a team commemorating Kieran Foran’s 300-game milestone, drawing a crowd of 19,286 fans for Gold Coast’s final home game of the season.

The Roosters took a 16-point lead at halftime after an action-packed half that saw seven tries and plenty of fast-paced play.

Gold Coast managed to score at 10 all when Alofiana Khan Pereira sprinted 95 meters to score his try of the match in the 26th minute.

However, errors and a lack of discipline proved costly for the home team, as two tries from Tupou and one from Sam Walker allowed the Roosters to extend their lead to 26-10 by halftime.

The Roosters captain, James Tedesco, scored in the second half, dashing any chance of a comeback by the Titans and giving his team a 22-point lead.

Following that, Angus Crichton contributed two tries, and Sitili Tupouniua added the final blow to the Titans.

The Sydney Roosters will now face the 12th-placed Canberra Raiders, who kept their NRL finals chances alive by defeating the Penrith Panthers by 22-18.

With Neds bookmaker setting the line at -16.5 towards the Roosters, the Raiders will need to improve on their 32 missed tackles and 9 penalties conceded to have any chance of defeating the Roosters in week 26.

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