Watson ready to deliver on pre-game prediction
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Last Saturday morning Roosters utility Connor Watson received a text from his mum telling him she had a premonition.
“She said she’d been manifesting that I was going to score a try … and I did,” Watson told NRL.com.
Connor Watson Try
“She is a bit ‘woo-woo’ my mum but she loves the spiritual side of things and that’s fine with me.”
His only other try in 2026 was back in Round 4 against Manly, so Watson wasn’t sure how strong his mum’s mental telepathy was going to be.
But of the 35 tries the 30-year-old has scored in 191 NRL games, his finishing off of a move involving 10 pairs of Roosters hands in the 51st minute against the Sharks has a special place.
“It definitely sticks out. It’s been a while between drinks so I was due one.”
Match: Dolphins v Roosters
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Dolphins
3rd Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
After that solid semi-final win, it’s now on to a preliminary final against the Dolphins in Brisbane and Watson will have his phone by his side on Friday morning.
“I said to her ‘make sure you go again – let’s double down this week’ and I’m sure she will.”
The memories of last week’s four-pointer though will be hard to beat.
“Those boys on the right edge are magicians. Whenever they get the ball you see how many times they are able to cut back in and make something happen,” Watson said.
“It was just a matter of staying alive. Hugo (Savala) was next to me so I tried to get a little depth off him.
“The ball came bouncing along the ground to him and then I kind of felt some space opening up before me and was able to get across the line … it was a great feeling.”
Another source of comfort in his second stint at the Roosters, after four years at the Knights, has been the pick-up in his defence.
Connor Watson Try
Watson now has a 95.5% tackle efficiency since moving to the middle, either replacing Victor Radley at lock or Reece Robson at hooker.
“As time goes on and being a smaller bloke in the middle I’ve just got better at my techniques because at the end of the day defence is the most important part of the game.
“From a young age I always wanted to be an attacking player. But now I’m at a level where defence is the building block of my game – it’s my priority.”
Another is finishing his time at the Roosters on a high. Last Saturday’s win over the Sharks was his last at Allianz Stadium in Roosters colours – when he returns in 2027 it will be in a Dragons jersey.
“I had a little look around … those thoughts have crossed my mind but I haven’t sat with them too much because that’d be distracting.
“I’m more concerned about the next game – a preliminary final – and putting my intention into that rather than it being potentially my last game.
“But I did take a moment to soak up how much I love playing in this stadium but it was more about getting my performance right.
“There’s a lot of Dragons supporters around town telling me how much they’re looking forward to me coming but my energy is solely with the Roosters. We’ve got a terrific opportunity in front of us.
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