Roosters set for prelim final clash with Melbourne after dominant victory over Manly

09/21/2024 07:36 AM

The Sydney Roosters have confirmed their spot in the first Preliminary final after a sensational 36-10 win over the Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

After what was a fairly even start to the match, the Rooster quickly seized control and never looked back, running away to a comfortable victory.

The game couldn't have started any worse for the visitors, with both Tolutau Koula and Jake Trbojevic suffering two HIAs within the first set.

Koula was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the match shortly before Manly was handed a massive boost as Trbojevic returned after passing his HIA test.

After a very even start to the game, it was the Roosters that got on the board first as an injured Victor Radley found a hole in the middle of the Manly defence to sail over the line untouched.

The Roosters quickly took control of the game and ran out to a 20-point lead after tries from James Tedesco and Sandon Smith late in the first half.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Sea Eagles were desperate to land their first blow of the game prior to the break and it was their inspirational skipper who led them in the right direction.

Daly Cherry-Evans set up Haumole Olakau'atu with a picture-perfect kick in the final minute of the first half, giving the visitors some hope heading into the final 40 minutes of play.

The Roosters wasted very little time to get back on top of the contest as play got back underway in the second half, scoring moments after the restart.

Daniel Tupou gave the hosts their fourth try of the evening shortly before James Tedesco sailed away to put the Roosters ahead by 28 points.

Manly answered back with what would only be a consolation try courtesy of Tommy Talau but with under 20 minutes remaining it was always going to be an improbable attempt to fight back given the attacking form of the Roosters.

Ben Trbojevic gave the Sea Eagles a reason to celebrate at the end with his try in the dying stages but any hopes of a comeback were already slim at best.

After conceding two late tries, it was the Roosters who had the last laugh with Dom Young going over untouched in the corner.

The Roosters will now travel to Melbourne for a prelim final clash with the Storm on Friday night at AAMI Park