SYDNEY Roosters are off to the NRL grand final on the back of two tries to departing winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
But the Bunker was again an issue as the tricolours scored a ?-? win before a packed house at Suncorp Stadium, with the Dolphins’ first try and a second half Roosters touchdown awarded after tight calls regarding the sideline and touch-in-goal.
The Roosters led 16-6 at halftime after taking a 16-0 lead after 26 minutes.
First it was Nawaqanitawase – returning to rugby union at season’s end – snatching a Herbie Farnworth pass out of the air and racing 90 metres for an intercept try, which Sam Walker converted.
Then lock Victor Radley waltzed over to the right of the posts with barely a hand laid on him in a worrying sign for the Redcliffe team.
And finally, winger Daniel Tupou soared to claim a cross-field kick and dot down.
It was a key refereeing decision which helped the Dolphins back into the game. Winger Jamayne Isaako went perilously close to planting the ball on the touch-in-goal line when he crossed seven minutes before halftime.
Isaako narrowed the margin to six three minutes after the resumption of play for the second half and we had more than a game.
But at 45 minutes, it was a tough call video referee Ashley Klein as to whether Nawaqanitawase placed a foot into touch before lobbing the ball in-field for centre Robert Toia’s try.
At that point, officiating was an issue. It would soon cease to be.
The floodgates opened with tries to prop Lindsay Collins (54 minutes), Nawaqanitawase (56), Sam Walker (66).
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 36 (Nawaqanitawase 2 Radley Tupou Toia Collins Walker tries Walker 2 Cherry-Evans 2 goals) beat DOLPHINS 20 (Isaako 2 Finefeuiaki Farnworth tries Isaako 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Crowd: 52,286
Teams:
DOLPHINS: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow; Jamayne Isaako, Jack Bostock, Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo; Kodi Nikorima, Isaiya Katoa (c); Tom Flegler, Jeremy Marshall-King, Tom Gilbert, Max Plath, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Morgan Knowles. Res: Kurt Donoghue, Ray Stone, Francis Molo, Connelly Lemuelu, Brad Schneider, Jake Averillo.
ROOSTERS: James Tedesco (c); Daniel Tupou, Billy Smith, Robert Toia, Mark Nawaqanitawase; Dalt Cherry-Evans, Sam Walker; Naufahu Whyte, Reece Robson, Lindsay Collins, Salesi Foketi, Siua Wong, Victor Radley. Res: Connor Watson, Angus Crichton, Nat Butcher, Spencer Leniu, Hugo Savala, Cody Ramsay.
Referee: Adam Gee.
