The Sydney Roosters have advanced to their first NRL grand final in seven years after a 36-20 preliminary final victory over the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium, inspired by two tries from Mark Nawaqanitawase and the return of Sam Walker from injury.
Roosters race to early lead
The Roosters shot out to a 16-0 lead inside 27 minutes in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,286 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. Their defensive grit on the tryline, a feature of their finals campaign, limited the damage from a mini-Dolphins comeback.
Nawaqanitawase, who is bound for rugby union, provided the pivotal moment in the 18th minute. Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth hesitated with his pass for what would have been a Dolphins try had it hit the mark, but Nawaqanitawase swooped, raced 90 metres, and the Roosters never looked back.
Walker's masterclass and key moments
Walker returned in a record-equalling 27 days from a syndesmosis injury to orchestrate the backline in a masterclass, setting up a decider clash with either Penrith or Newcastle. His sublime lob for jumping Daniel Tupou was well rehearsed and perfectly executed.
Dolphins bench impact man Kurt Donoghoe dropped the ball when he came on and then missed a tackle for a rampant Victor Radley to score. The Roosters lost bench rake Connor Watson to a category one HIA, upgraded by the independent doctor, in the first half, and the St George Illawarra-bound utility will miss the grand final.
Dolphins fight back but Roosters prevail
Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako scored tries either side of halftime, but Nawaqanitawase collected a kick and flicked it back for Robert Toia to crash over. When Nawaqanitawase bulldozed over for his second and Walker sliced through, it was all over for the hosts.
The Dolphins had won eight straight games to reach their first preliminary final, but on this occasion it was the Roosters' big-game players who stood tallest. Roosters coach Trent Robinson will be angling for his fourth premiership win in as many attempts.
