The Sydney Roosters have claimed the 2019 NRL Premiership with a 14-8 win over the Canberra Raiders in front of 82,922 fans at ANZ Stadium.
A James Tedesco try in controversial circumstances in the final ten minutes of the match gave the Roosters the lead to defeat a valiant Canberra Raiders outfit.
The Roosters had the first opportunity of the match after four minutes when Boyd Cordner forced his way over the line but desperate defence led by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad prevented the ball from being grounded.
However, the Roosters were the first to score in the seventh minute when am Verrills ran the ball from dummy-half to score next to the posts.
The Raiders settled their way into the match as the two sides tussled for field position. However, a penalty 35 metres allowed Latrell Mitchell to make the score 8-0.
A James Tedesco knock on gave the Raiders an opportunity in good field position and the Green Machine made it count.
On the verge of a likely Kangaroos callup, Wighton showcased his skills on the big stage as he stepped on his inside to beat Boyd Cordner, who was playing on the right side of the field after an earlier injury to Mitch Aubusson forced a reshuffle.
The Roosters were awarded a penalty right on halftime but Mitchell missed the kick from the sideline as the Raiders went into the sheds down by two points.
The match continued to be a grind but the Raiders pack started making inroads and were troubling their Rooster counterparts with offloads.
The Green Machine were given a boost when Cooper Cronk was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul to prevent Papali from scoring.
With the Roosters halfback off the field, Croker kicked the subsequent penalty to level the scores at 8-8.
Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana looked to give the Raiders the lead before Cronk re-entered the fray but Leilua’s final pass was forward.
With the game in the balance, Taukeiaho broke through the Raiders line but Nicoll-Klokstad once again came up with a try saving tackle.
A dangerous tackle from Aidan Sezer gave the Roosters an opportunity to add two points but Mitchell once again missed from out wide.
The Raiders continued to build pressure on the Roosters defence and the referee awarded six again before changing his mind at the completion of the tackle. From there, Daniel Tupou broke through the Raiders line, drawing in the last defender and passing to Tedesco who scored.
Sydney Roosters 14 (Tries: S Verrills, J Tedesco; Goals: L Mitchell 3) d Canberra Raiders 8 (Tries: J Wighton; Goals: J Croker 2)
