A strong first half display propelled the One New Zealand Warriors to their second consecutive win when they outpointed the Sydney Roosters 30-18 in today’s second-round New South Wales Cup contest at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
Following their convincing 42-20 opening-round victory over Newcastle, the visitors were on track to have another big win when they led 28-4 early in the second half.
However, playing in excessive heat they allowed the Roosters to come back into the match with three unanswered tries to trail just 18-28 with 15 minutes to play.
All the momentum was with the home side until a Ronald Volkman penalty six minutes from time not only stretched the buffer to 12 points but also checked the tempo of the game.
From there the One New Zealand Warriors closed out the match to have them two-from-two.
They were in imposing mood in the opening 40 minutes, pounding the Roosters with their aggressive defence and maintaining an impressive completion rate.
Match: Roosters v Warriors
Round 2 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 1 Ethan KingFullback for Warriors is number 1 Taine Tuaupiki
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Allan FitzgibbonWinger for Warriors is number 2 Setu Tu
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Centre for Roosters is number 3 Ethan Clark-WoodCentre for Warriors is number 3 Ali Leiataua
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Centre for Roosters is number 4 Jordan SwannCentre for Warriors is number 4 Viliami Vailea
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Winger for Roosters is number 12 Vuate KarawalevuWinger for Warriors is number 5 Sanele Aukusitino
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Joseph Whitikama Temara TaipariFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Ben Farr
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Sandon SmithHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Ronald Volkman
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 8 Dylan CliffordProp for Warriors is number 8 Zyon Maiu'u
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Hooker for Roosters is number 14 Thomas DeakinHooker for Warriors is number 9 Freddy Lussick
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Prop for Roosters is number 17 Luke HodgeProp for Warriors is number 10 Isaiah Vagana
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Elie El-Zakham2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Kalani Going
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 21 Siua Wong2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Michael Sio
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Josh BevanLock for Warriors is number 13 Jazz Tevaga
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 9 Tyler MoriartyInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Paul Roache
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Thomas WorthingtonInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Maia Sands
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Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Riley MeynInterchange for Warriors is number 16 Tahi Baggaley
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Interchange for Roosters is number 26 Callum EllisInterchange for Warriors is number 23 Paterika Vaivai
Reserves
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Replacement for Roosters is number 23 Coby Thomas
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Reserve for Warriors is number 17 Nicholas Halalilo
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It was translated into a steady flow of points with fullback Taine Tuaupiki cruising over off a Volkman inside ball after just four minutes.
Three more tries followed, Sanele Aukusitino powering over on the right edge and Ben Farr on the left before hooker Freddy Lussick found an easy route to the line from dummy half.
The 22-4 halftime lead stretched to 28-4 just four minutes into the second half when captain Michael Sio ran onto a sweet all from Paul Roache.
That, though, would be the last try of the day for the One New Zealand Warriors as errors crept into their game.
There was some anxiety as the Roosters bit into the lead but ultimately the One New Zealand Warriors had too many points in the bank.
In his first game back after offseason surgery, NRL veteran Jazz Tevaga was given 33 minutes on the field. He came through with 104 metres from nine runs and 15 tackles without a miss.
Former Newcastle and Gold Coast forward Patrick Vaivai made a big impression off the bench after being called in as a late replacement, running for 96 metres from just seven quality runs.
The One New Zealand Warriors will be back home next week when they take on the North Sydney Bears at the Trusts Arena in Waitakere.
Match details
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Sydney Roosters 18 (Vuate Karawalevu 2, Ethan King, Joseph Whitikama Temara Taipari tries; Sandon Smith conversion).
One New Zealand Warriors 30 (Taine Tuaupiki, Sanele Aukusitino, Ben Farr, Freddy Lussick, Michael Sio tries; Ronald Volkman 4 conversions, penalty).
Halftime: 22-4 One New Zealand Warriors.
One New Zealand Warriors | Taine Tuaupiki; Setu Tu, Ali Leiataua, Viliami Vailea, Sanele Aukusitino; Ben Farr, Ronald Volkman; Zyon Maiuu, Freddy Lussick, Isaiah Vagana; Kalani Going (vice-captain), Michael Sio (captain); Jazz Tevaga. Interchange: Paul Roache, Maia Sands, Tahi Baggaley, Patrick Vaivai.
