Game Summary
The Newtown Jets put on a dominant display to defeat the Sydney Roosters 30-12 in their Round 16 clash at Allianz Stadium, reinforcing their own hold of fifth place on The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup ladder.
The Jets wasted no time, striking inside five minutes through a clinical scrum play that sent Kristian Dixon over in the corner. Halfback Jayden Berrell drew the defence before finding Riley Pollard, who shipped it to Liam Ison then Dixon for a straightforward finish.
Two tries within two minutes of each other soon followed, with Sam Stonestreet's kick producing a friendly bounce that Jones collected for Newtown's second, before Pollard converted from close range to put the visitors ahead 10-nil by the 10-minute mark.
Stonestreet eventually broke through for Newtown's third, his direct run punching a hole in the Roosters' defence late in the first half. With the Roosters unable to reply and still scoreless, Michael Gabrael then capped a strong first-half cameo to score right on the siren giving the Jets an imposing 20-nil lead at the break.
The second half told a similar story. Gabriel doubled his tally to score the Jets' fifth try and push the lead to 24-nil, before Taj Ford claimed his fourth of the season to settle the contest at 30-nil with 10 minutes remaining.
The Roosters at last found some reward in the final minutes when Benaiah Ioelu muscled over from short range, before a piece of juggling wizardry from debutant Jackson Stewart created a try for Hayden Barton. Jake Elliott converted both to make the final score 30-12.
Talking Points
Jets five-eighth Taj Ford finished with another try assist and created constant danger throughout, his footwork and vision in broken play causing the Roosters problems. His 11 try assists from 12 games coming into this one places him among the top playmakers in the competition this year, and he added to that tally here.
Liam Ison was immovable at the back for the Jets, taking bomb after bomb and regularly repelling the Roosters under pressure. His leadership as captain was evident throughout.
Key Moment
The two late first-half tries were the decisive blows. The Roosters had shown enough defensive resolve to keep the score at 14-nil heading into the final minutes, and they might have gone into the break still in the contest. Instead, Stonestreet's try followed by Gabrael's right on the siren inflated the margin to 20-nil and left the Roosters with an impossible task in the second half.
What's Next?
The Jets enjoy the bye next week while Magic Round heads to Scully Park in Tamworth. The Roosters face the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
