NRL: James Tedesco has starred in his 250th NRL game, leading the Sydney Roosters to a semi final win over the Manly Sea Eagles.
And just like that the second week of the finals has concluded, with six teams whittling down to four eyeing premiership glory.
Elsewhere, Mal Meninga provided a hint at who could be donning the green and gold of Australia at next month’s Pacific Championships.SHARKS SILENCE CRITICS AS NEW HALVES DYNAMIC PAYS OFF But Craig Fitzgibbon stuck solid with his halves pairing and it paid off in a dominant first-half performance from the Sharks.The 25-year-old put on a masterclass, finishing with two tries, two linebreak assists and four forced dropouts.
It came after a week full of headlines surrounding the confidence of Hynes. The noise got so intense the marquee No.7 even switched off social media to escape it. “It would’ve been a tough week for Nicho but I thought he was terrific. Defensively, he got his body in front. There’s no doubt he was targeted defensively and he did a great job.
Johnson knows exactly what it’s like to be under scrutiny for not aiming up as a marquee half— but he’s confident the semi-final win will be enough to silence the criticism.“They’re 80 minutes away from a grand final — what are we talking about this time next week if they’ve just beaten the Panthers. None of this noise that was noise two or three weeks ago becomes relevant anymore.
“Somewhere during the week, he made a decision. He’s been playing like that all year, but that was another level tonight. That was exceptional.” Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson noted this, believing Tedesco’s recent run of form has “answered” critics. Corey Parker says it’s a testament to Tedesco to see him continue to stay at or near the top among fullbacks in our game considering the incredible depth at that position.
Heading into Friday night’s game without a finals win in years, there was immense pressure placed on the Cronulla Sharks this week. Johnson agreed it was a whole team effort from the Sharks against the Cowboys, stating; “They needed 13 starters and then the bench to come on and make an impact and they did.”
“It’s always harder at half time when you go hot and come out and start that way you’ve got the target on your back,” he said. But with 50 missed tackles, Alexander said the Cowboys’ fitness concerns were likely the catalyst for their struggles at Allianz Stadium. Michael Ennis said their glaringly obvious fitness issues led to some serious lapses in defence which Cronulla continually capitalised on.
“They piled on the points and they piled them on quickly and in the end the Cowboys had chances in that’s second half and were able to create a line break or a half chance and through the pressure of the scoreboard threw a pass that they may not normally throw or a play three flick pass or Drinkwater going for the dropout.
“As far as Cherry-Evans is concerned I don’t know what he means by where he stands because he is the incumbent halfback at the moment. “That’s how we go about our business, so whoever is playing well at that time deserves to get an Australian jersey.”“Tommy’s last game was in 2018 because of his injuries he has struggled to be around and available at that time,” Meninga said.
“Manly to be honest were missing tackles from the word go,” Roosters premiership winner Cooper Cronk said on Fox League’s post-game coverage.“There’s no doubt Seibold wound up his team too for the big moments too because they got a lot of confidence after beating the Bulldogs last week but to take down the Roosters physically they had to start it’s just they fell at the start.”
Straight Finals Losses SHARKS BOOK PANTHERS Coaches Selections Darcie Mcdonald Team Selection Fitness Issues Ankle Injury BOOK PANTHERS DATE Team Effort Michael Ennis Tom Sargeant Shaun Johnson Dominant First-Half Performance Right Moves Putting Dan Atkinson Talking Points Fox League Young Head Coaching Craig Fitzgibbon Penalty Goal Try Assist Head Coaching Career Silences Critics Daniel Nuttall Cronulla Sharks Halves Pairing HALVES DYNAMIC Greg Alexander Kicking Game Finals Win Finals Game Premiership Credentials Mark St John
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