NRL round 26: Roosters defeat Cowboys
The Sydney Roosters were able to push their way past the Cowboys on the road in Dairy Farmers Stadium over the weekend.
The Roosters were able to seal a post-season berth with their win over the Cowboys on Saturday. In a game that was dominated by defence, both sides got off to slow starts as the Roosters were only able to take a two-point lead into half-time. After the break the game remained tight, nevertheless the Roosters were able to muster more on offence on their way to an 18-8 win.
Recap
The Cowboys opened up the scoring in the 10th minute as Matthew Bowen muscled his way over the line to give the home side a 4-0 lead.
The Roosters battled back with a try courtesy of Shaun Kenny-Dowall in the 29th minute. Todd Carney followed up with a conversion to give the visitors a 6-4 lead heading into half-time.
After the break the Roosters came out quickly with a second try from Kenny-Dowall in the 43rd minute, Carney added his second conversion of the game to push the lead out to 12-4.
However, the Cowboys would not go away easily as Ty Williams forced his way across the whitewash in the 61st minute. However, after a second missed conversion the Cowboys still found themselves trailing 12-8.
The Roosters recorded their third try of the game in the 68th minute from Mitchell Pearce. Carney capped the score off with his third conversion in as many attempts. The Roosters then settled back into a defensive formation and managed to keep the Cowboys out of their end taking the final 18-8.
In what was an incredibly defensive game the Roosters were able to establish their dominance with the boot, leaving the Cowboys behind with their three conversions.
Analysis
The Roosters won their second game in a row to ensure themselves a play-off spot. Nevertheless, the Sydney-siders had a difficult run in the final eight games, dropping from the third spot all the way to the sixth. This sudden drop will see them face-off against the Wests Tigers in the first round.
The Cowboys meanwhile struggled all year long finishing the season with only five wins, as well as the most points-against. The Cowboys end the season in 15th spot, and if it were not for the Storms inability to accumulate points, would have finished in 16th.
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