Redemption mission driving Roosters into sudden-death showdown
- Author
- Timestamp
The opportunity for a rematch with the Panthers is driving the Roosters in their bid to navigate two weeks of sudden-death football and book a spot in the NRL grand final.
The two teams played out an epic qualifying final last weekend, with Nathan Cleary slotting a 70th minute field goal to help send Penrith into the preliminary final.
The result has forced the Roosters into sudden-death football a week earlier than hoped and Trent Robinson's men will now take on Cronulla in a must-win semi-final at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Panthers v Roosters – Finals Week 1, 2026
While disappointed not to come away with the result, the Roosters have taken plenty of confidence from their performance and set their sights on setting up a rematch with the Panthers on grand final day.
"We saw we're able to go toe-to-toe with the premiership favourites," centre Rob Toia said. "That was a big takeaway we can take from that game.
"Some of the boys on the Penrith team mentioned a few times 'we'll be seeing you in the GF'. I didn't think of it at the time but if we win our games the next two weeks we'll meet them in the grand final if both teams get through."
Match: Roosters v Sharks
Finals Week 2 -
home Team
Roosters
4th Position
away Team
Sharks
5th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
The winner of Saturday's match will take on the Dolphins in a Suncorp Stadium preliminary final next weekend, while Penrith will host the winner of the Warriors' clash with the Knights.
After a Round 24 win over the Panthers, the Roosters have now lost four on the trot but confidence remains high within the club's Moore Park HQ.
Trent Robinson's side pushed the minor premiers to the brink and could have prevailed had a couple of key moments swung in their favour.
A desperate Papali'i reaches out to save one
Lock Victor Radley revealed he was up at 3am on Monday pondering the chance that slipped through his side's grasp but has quickly turned his focus to Saturday's clash with the Sharks.
"I had that feeling [after Sunday] that I know where we stand," Radley said. "We're in a good spot and nothing's more important than this week.
"As disappointing as the weekend was, we know we're in a good place."
While the result didn't go their way, there were plenty of positives to take out of Sunday's game for the Roosters.
The Tricolours were superb in defence and largely contained Penrith's attacking weapons.
Mark Nawaqanitawase was immense for the Roosters
There were also promising signs from Daly Cherry-Evans' halves partnership with Hugo Savala, with the pair to link up again this weekend as Sam Walker continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
While Cronulla will pose a different challenge on Saturday night, Roosters captain James Tedesco is confident his side can finish on top.
"Our performance was really good," Tedesco said. "I didn't think we got outplayed, our physicality was really good and our defence on the goal line was awesome.
"You look at those positives and there's a couple of moments we want to clear up and fix this weekend but it's about bringing positivity into this week. Especially with the young crew we've got, we're not getting down on ourselves.
"We know the areas we want to improve on and focus on in our sessions this week so we're ready to go on Saturday night."
One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Family tickets are available from just $59. Click here to secure your seats and get behind your team.
