The Roosters scored an impressive 26-8 win over last year’s grand finalists in their Round 5 meeting.
With both sides still finding their feet in 2012 it was the Roosters that settled into the task with Shaun Kenny-Dowall scoring an easy try after just four minutes following from clever lead-up work by Mitchell Pearce and Anthony Minichiello.
The Warriors’ defence was found wanting again 17 minutes later when Mitch Aubusson brushed aside a woeful attempted tackle from Shaun Johnson to race over and score and it was 16-0 within the half-hour when Brad Takairangi’s speculative grubber sat up perfectly for Anthony Mitchell.
The Warriors finally got themselves on the scoreboard with seven minutes remaining in the opening half, with Jerome Ropati finishing off a backline move on the left edge to make it 16-4 at the break.
The Warriors briefly threatened a comeback in the second half with fullback Glen Fisi’iahi – standing in for the injured Kevin Locke – scored a scintillating try off a Johnson short ball, but they couldn’t conjure any further points and the issue was put to bed in the dying seconds as the Roosters kicked ahead twice for Minichiello to score.
Minichiello was superb for the Roosters, running for 180 metres to go with his late four-pointer, while prop Martin Kennedy laid a superb platform with 193 metres up front.
Elijah Taylor and Nathan Friend both made 41 tackles for the visitors but, tellingly, not a single Warriors forward topped 100 metres.
