The Sydney Roosters kept their dim finals chances alive by beating the Wests Tigers 32 – 18, despite being deprived of the presence of stars Mitchell Pierce and Boyd Cordner.
Sydney has been minor premiers the past three seasons, sorely needed to win the match and they received a nice boost from the return of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves to the starting side.
Coach Robinson found little to fault with his squad, who had to contend with wet and windy conditions at Allianz Stadium that were so severe that fewer than 4,000 fans were willing to brave the elements to watch. The attendance came close to matching the record for smallest-ever NRL crowd on a day when most chose television as the way to be counted amongst the observers.
The question remains of whether the Roosters can survive the remaining four months that finds them in the unenviable positons of needing to win nine of their remaining 12 games to make the finals.
The home run for the Roosters includes the Storm, Sharks and Broncos twice. They also have to play the Warriors, Eels, Cowboys, Dragons, Panthers and Bulldogs.
Jake Friend, Dylan Napa and the aforementioned Hargreaves turned in big performances for the Roosters.
