Roosters

With rookie halfback Lachlan Ilias finding his feet and gun No.1 Latrell Mitchell digging deep into his bag of tricks the Rabbitohs turned a 12-6 half-time lead into a comprehensive win.

With so much at stake the Rabbitohs charged out of the blocks with skipper Cameron Murray setting the tone with a try in the ninth minute.

The Roosters then invited their arch-rivals to double the lead with an error from a tap restart and Alex Johnston obliged with the 138th try of his career.

Rothfield has been a vocal critic of Mitchell’s aggressive approach, which many experts believe cost Souths the 2021 premiership, but he believes the Rabbitohs No.1 has matured.

“He will be fine,” Rothfield said.

“I really like the interviews he did last week, particularly the one with Jess Yates.

The Knights brushed aside pre-season pessimism that had them in the mix for the wooden spoon to shock the Roosters who never recovered from a controversial obstruction call in the first half.

A number of pundits are quickly deleting tweets that had Newcastle finishing last because the Knights showed in 80 minutes that they can still be competitive without Mitchell Pearce in the Hunter anymore.

Kalyn Ponga was good at the back, but the most impressive thing for coach Adam O’Brien was that his gun No.1 wasn’t the sole contributor in attack.

Heading into his fifth season in the Red, White and Blue, the mercurial fullback expressed his excitement for the new season, which begins with the Round 1 double header with the NRLW side against the Newcastle Knights at the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground.   

“I’m excited, it’s come around pretty quick,” he said.

“But we’ve had an awesome pre-season, having everyone back on deck and everyone healthy and ready to go for Round 1.

Smith will join the Roosters in 2023, reportedly making up his mind without talking to the Storm despite promising to give them final bidding rights, according toThe Sydney Morning Herald.

The Kiwi was being pursued by a host of clubs but hadn’t commented on his dealings publicly until praising the Roosters on a podcast over the weekend.

The 25-year-old has spent the last month travelling the east coast, touring clubs hoping to sign the versatile New Zealand International.

After having meetings with the Cowboys and Titans it emerged that the NRL’s newest franchise the Dolphins and Roosters were his most likely destinations.

Asked this week about the reasons behind the rapid turnaround from their 15th-place finish last year to a second-place ladder finish and preliminary final berth, Aubusson said the pain and experience of last year and improved ability win big moments were big factors, plus some smart recruiting in Luke Keary and Michael Gordon.

He also spoke to the culture at the club – one that he, along with the likes of Jake Friend and Mitch Pearce have been a key part of building since they were teenagers. And in particular the influence of one-star recruit back in 2013.

The Roosters are without stars Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner, while the Cowboys have had an unsettled build-up with tackling-machine Shaun Fensom rested from training due to a rib-cartilage injury, while stalwart front-rower Scott Bolton has missed training due to sickness. 

Forward John Asiata is expecting Fensom to play, and the back-rower's toughness is somewhat legendary, having unknowingly broken his arm in training while at the Canberra Raiders only to turn up to a weights session the next day.  

Defending premiers Cronulla were soundly beaten by Gold Coast Titans last weekend, but responded by seeing off the Bunnies at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Friday.

Wade Graham and Fa'amanu Brown scored first-half tries either side of a Braidon Burns four-pointer, with the returning James Maloney converting both Sharks scores and also landing a penalty to make it 14-6 at the break.

On the one hand, their top-four charge has been dealt a blow, their star stocks depleted just as crucial clashes against ladder-leaders Melbourne, third-placed Manly and North Queensland loom.

On the other, the second-placed side can embrace their young talent, grind out wins and then regain two key players in fresh shape for the finals.

Trent Robinson's men choose the latter.