The Roosters downed the Raiders 14-8 in a lacklustre meeting at Allianz Stadium in Round 3.
The Raiders looked on song when Shaun Berrigan (7th minute) and Jarrod Croker (16th minute) scored to open up a commanding 8-nil lead before Roosters skipper Braith Anasta crossed five minutes before halftime to bridge the gap to just two points at oranges.
Roosters interchange Daniel Mortimer crossed on the hour after some good lead-up work from Shaun Kenny-Dowall down the right edge, with Anasta’s conversion securing the home side a 12-8 lead. A penalty goal with two minutes remaining rounded out the scoring.
Powerful running (six line-breaks) and prolific second phase (19 offloads) was the key for the Roosters, who otherwise struggled to build pressure throughout the afternoon – they registered a woeful 53 per cent completions rate and staggering 21 errors.
Meanwhile falling of the tackles that mattered cruelled the Raiders’ chances – they missed 38 overall. They were also dealt a body blow when they lost fullback Josh Dugan to injury just 14 minutes after kick-off.
Anthony Minichiello (202 metres) and BJ Leilua (five offloads) were the tri-colours’ best players, while Blake Ferguson (153 metres and seven tackle busts) kept the Raiders in the hunt.
