BRISBANE BRONCOS 16 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 28
CALLUM WALKER, Suncorp Stadium, Friday
IN one of the surprises of the season so far, the Roosters inflicted a shock defeat on second-placed Brisbane.
Prior to the game, Trent Robinson’s men sat second bottom on the ladder but they looked in the mood from the off here with Billy Smith’s try and Sandon Smith’s conversion and penalty sending the Roosters into the lead.
The Broncos did storm ahead 12-8 courtesy of a Selwyn Cobbo interception against the run of play and then a Reece Walsh finish from a Cory Paix break as Billy Smith sat in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle.
But, when Jack Gosiewski was also shown a yellow card for head contact, the Roosters took full advantage with two tries in three minutes.
Billy Smith grabbed a second, grounding a delicious Sandon Smith grubber, before Angus Crichton spun out of a tackle to dot down and send Sydney into a 20-12 half-time lead.
Jesse Arthars reduced the deficit to just four shortly after the break, but a strong Roosters rearguard action and a determined Nat Butcher effort – which saw the forward ricochet off the post padding – handed the visitors an unlikely two points.
BRONCOS: 1 Reece Walsh, 2 Selwyn Cobbo, 3 Kotoni Staggs, 4 Gehamat Shibasaki, 5 Jesse Arthars, 6 Ben Hunt, 7 Adam Reynolds, 8 Patrick Carrigan, 9 Cory Paix, 10 Payne Haas, 11 Jack Gosiewski, 12 Jaiyden Hunt, 13 Kobe Hetherington. Subs (all used): 14 Billy Walters, 15 Corey Jensen, 16 Xavier Willison, 17 Martin Taupau
Tries: Cobbo (21), Walsh (24), Arthars (51); Goals: Reynolds 1/3, Walsh 1/1; Sin bin: Gosiewski (30) – head contact
ROOSTERS: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Billy Smith, 4 Robert Toia, 5 Dom Young, 6 Sandon Smith, 7 Hugo Savala, 8 Nat Butcher, 9 Connor Watson, 10 Naufahu Whyte, 11 Angus Crichton, 12 Siua Wong, 15 Salesi Foketi. Subs (all used): 13 Victor Radley, 14 Zach Dockar-Clay, 16 Blake Steep, 17 Spencer Leniu
Tries: B Smith (14, 35), Crichton (38), Butcher (66); Goals: S Smith 5/5; Sin bin: B Smith (19) – dangerous tackle
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2, 0-8, 4-8, 10-8, 12-8, 12-14, 12-20; 16-20, 16-26
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Broncos: Payne Haas; Roosters: Nat Butcher
Penalty count: 8-5; Half-time: 12-20; Referee: Peter Gough; Attendance: 40,814
