The Sydney Roosters have secured their spot in the 2023 Jersey Flegg Grand Final after defeating the Parramatta Eels 31-18 at Leichhardt Oval today.
A second half surge helped the Roosters bounce back from their disappointing loss against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs last weekend.
The Roosters will now have a chance at redemption against the Bulldogs in the Grand Final at CommBank Stadium on Sunday 24 September.
“It was a big team effort today.” Roosters coach Dean Feeney told nswrl.com.au.
“There were a lot of guys who were really good for us today.
“I couldn’t be prouder as a coach.”
Preliminary Final: (1st) Sydney Roosters 31 def (5th) Parramatta Eels 18.
The Eels were down to 12 men early in the game after prop Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa was sent to the bin for late contact.
With the Eels a man down, Roosters halfback Cassius Tia capitalised quickly after firing a cut-out pass to winger Tavita Henare-Schuster, who scored in the corner for a 4-0 lead.
The Eels hit back quickly through centre Blaize Talagi, who found a hole in the defensive line before diving over to score.
The game came to a stop in the 16th minute after Roosters prop Corey Ross was sent to the bin for 10 minutes for a head slam on Eels centre Samuel Loizou. Loizou was taken off the field for a HIA and did not return.
Parramatta wasted no time extending their lead to 16-4 after scoring back-to-back tries through wingers Matthew Komolafe and Ethyn Martin.
Tia helped spark the Roosters attack before half-time, kicking early in the set into open space for centre Xavier Chatfield-Mooka to grab and improve his position to score. Tia converted to take the score to 16-10.
The Eels extended their lead to 18-10 at half-time after being awarded a penalty right on half-time with halfback Ethan Sanders making no mistake with the attempt from 30 metres in front.
Trailing by eight, the Roosters had 35 minutes to turn things around and keep their season alive. They were the first team to add points in the second half through centre Vaiala Tamati, who found space close to the sideline before stepping back on his inside shoulder to score (18-16).
The Roosters took the lead in the 48th minute after scoring two quick tries through Salesi Foketi and Chatfield-Mooka – his second for the day.
Tia, who had a hand in all the Roosters attack, sealed the win for his team after landing a field goal from 30 meters out in the 67th minute (25-18).
Roosters fullback Owen Flaherty added salt to the wound in the final seconds of the game, breaking through the defence to cross under the posts. Tia added the two points on full-time.
“I challenged the team at half-time,” Feeney said.
“We just needed to believe in ourselves a little bit and to go back to what we know we can do.
“Ourselves and the Bulldogs have been the best two sides all year so it should be a good battle next week.”
Sydney Roosters 31 (Xavier Chatfield-Mooka 2, Tavita Henare-Schuster, Vaiala Tamati, Salesi Foketi, Owen Flaherty tries; Cassius Tia 2, Vaiala Tamati 1 goals; Cassius Tia field goal) def Parramatta Eels 18 (Blaize Talagi, Matthew Komolafe, Ethyn Martin tries; Ethan Sanders 3 goals).
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