Daniel Tupou flies high to score for the Roosters. Source: Getty Images
- SYDNEY ROOSTERS 40 bt NEWCASTLE 14 at Allianz Stadium.
MINOR premiers Sydney Roosters swept aside the week from hell to cut Newcastle open from long-range and qualify for their sixth grand final in 13 seasons.
MATCH CENTRE: ROOSTERS v KNIGHTS
Despite irregular human growth hormone and testosterone test results being leaked publicly during the week, the Roosters were all business to set-up the Grand Final against arch-rivals Manly.
The Tricolours’ big-game players all delivered, with Sonny Bill Williams soldiering on through illness, Michael Jennings superb and playmakers Mitchell Pearce, James Maloney and Jake Friend all producing the temperament and creativity required to win finals football.
For Newcastle, the club’s brave run went out the window when Danny Buderus was knocked out and forced off on a medicab in the 18th minute.
Buderus was on the wrong end of a Jared Waerea-Hargreaves elbow that was entirely accidental.
Winger Daniel Tupou produced a massive play to open the second half, making a lightning 55m break from deep in his own territory to set up field position for Aidan Guerra’s try.
Knights fullback Darius Boyd was flying through chasing a Tyrone Roberts kick when the ball bounced up and whoever swooped was going to have an opportunity.
If Boyd won it, the Knights probably would have scored. Instead, Tupou produced a brilliant run before Guerra put a pirouette a couple of plays later for an 18-4 scoreline.
Five minutes later, Jennings cut the Knights open from a standing start 25m out off a Pearce inside ball, putting the Roosters on course for the Grand Final.
The Roosters started all guns blazing, but through the blue-collar grit that defines the city of Newcastle, the Knights held solid.
Friend scooted out of dummy half and sent captain Anthony Minichiello into open space. He found Pearce, who threw a looping cut-out ball to Guerra before the Knights eventually shut the raid down.
Next up it was Pearce and Maloney combining, only for the five-eighth to be shut down centimetres from the line, with Robbie Rochow and Jeremy Smith denying him.
Smith couldn’t resist giving Maloney a facial, which the video referees deemed unnecessary pressure and the Roosters were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for a 2-0 lead. Smith was also placed on report.
The Knights opted for a simple style of one-out forward running, while the Roosters were throwing a combination of brute force mixed with flashes of finesse.
Then came the turning point when Buderus was hurt.
Waerea-Hargreaves ran at the brave Novocastrian, who threw his body into a position few other players would.
Buderus was knocked out for about three minutes and then taken to hospital for precautionary scans.
From that point on, it was going to take a special performance from the Knights to qualify for the Grand Final.
The next big moment came nine minutes before halftime, when the Roosters put back-to-back tries together, to Tupou and Michael Jennings, and power to a 12-2 lead.
Sadly, the Jennings try came off a forward pass, meaning the match officials are bound to come in for more criticism at the most important time of the year in September.
The Tupou try was like something out of a Harlem Globetrotters show reel, with the towering Rooster leaping high above Akuila Uate to pluck a James Maloney cross-field kick out of the air, then gracefully touching down for the first try of the night.
Unfortunately, as slick as the long-range Jennings try three minutes later looked, with the Tricolours cutting the Knights open from long range, there was a forward pass to start it from Sonny Bill Williams to Dylan Napa.
Napa found himself in space before giving it to Pearce, who found Jennings. The centre went on a powerful surge all the way to the line.
But the refereeing bungle will leave another sour taste, especially after the seventh-tackle fiasco of the opening week of the finals.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 40 (A Guerra 2 M Jennings 2 M Aubusson J Friend D Tupou tries J Maloney 6 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 14 (J Leilua 2 tries T Roberts 3 goals) at Allianz Stadium. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Ashley Klein. Crowd: 37,752.
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Source: DailyTelegraph
Re-live the action in the rolling coverage below
FULLTIME - Roosters into Grand Final
THE Sydney Roosters cruised into the Grand Final with a comprehensive 40-14 win against the Newcastle Knights on Saturday night.
Full match report on its way.
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69th minute - Leilua strikes again
A SECOND Joseph Leilua try in quick succession has added some respectability to the scoreline.
Roosters 34 Knights 14
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66th minute - Knights finally break through
THE Knights finally get over for their first try of the night - and it's a brilliant effort.
Jarrod Mullen finds Joseph Leilua with a wonderful bending kick on the left and he's over.
Roosters 34 Knights 8
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62nd minute - Friend races 60m to score
ROOSTERS hooker Jake Friend pounces on a Manly error to race 60m to the line.
Lock it in: Roosters v Manly Grand Final
Roosters 34 Newcastle 4
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57th minute - Roosters all but secure grand final spot
THREE tries in 10 minutes - the latest to Mitchell Aubusson under the posts - has the Roosters well on their way to next Sunday's grand final against Manly.
Roosters 30 Knights 4
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Michael Jennings celebrates a try with his Roosters teammates. Source: DailyTelegraph
52nd minute - Jennings scoots over
OUT of nothing, the Roosters score yet another try, this time through centre Michael Jennings who races over.
Roosters 24 Knights 4
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47th minute - Roosters go in again
AIDAN Guerra dances and spins his way to the line and slams the ball down to help the Roosters to a commanding lead.
Daniel Tupou set up the four-pointer with a magnificent, lengthy run.
Roosters 18 Knights 4
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HALFTIME - Roosters lead 12-4 at the break
DANNY Buderus was taken to hospital for precautionary scans as the Sydney Roosters took a 12-4 halftime lead in their preliminary final against the Knights.
The retiring Knights legend was knocked out by an accidental elbow from Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and will take no further part in the game.
The Roosters tries came a flying Daniel Tupou and controversial four-pointer to Michael Jennings, after an obvious Sonny Bill Williams forward pass.
The Knights' only points have come via two penalties from the boot of Tyrone Roberts.
Halftime stats at MATCH CENTRE
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Check out the video of Jeremy Smith being placed on report for a facial above
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34th minute - Roosters score in controversial circumstances
KNIGHTS fans will be blowing up after the Sydney Roosters extended their lead on the back of a blatant forward pass from Sonny Bill Williams.
The pass in question was a short ball from Williams to put Dylan Napa away, before the ball finally ends up in the hands of Michael Jennings, who scores.
James Maloney makes no mistake with the kick this time.
Roosters 12 Knights 2
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31st minute - Tupou flies high for first try of the game
ROOSTERS winger Daniel Tupou leaps to bring down a pinpoint James Maloney chip on the left-hand side for the first try of the game.
Maloney hits the upright with an unsuccessful conversion attempt from the sideline.
Roosters 6 Knights 2
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25th minute - Knights level it up
TYRONE Roberts slots a penalty to level it up at 2-all.
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Danny Buderus is stretchered from the field. Source: Getty Images
18th minute - Buderus stretchered off
KNIGHTS stalwart Danny Buderus was stretchered from the field after being being knocked out when trying to tackle Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Waerea-Hargreaves' elbow made contact with Buderus' head.
The retiring Knights legend Buderus received a standing ovation as he was taken from the field in a neck brace.
UPDATE: Buderus has been taken to hospital for precautionary scans
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11th minute - Roberts nervous?
LAST week's hero for the Knights Tyrone Roberts drops it cold with the Knights in a fantastic attacking position inside the Roosters' 20m.
Tyrone Roberts drops it cold. Source: Getty Images
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8th minute - Jeremy Smith on report
NEWCASTLE Knights forward Jeremy Smith was placed on report for unnecessary pressure to the head for a facial on Roosters half James Maloney.
Maloney came within inches of opening the scoring for the Roosters, before Smith and Robbie Rochow pulled off a try-saving tackle.
But while Maloney lay apparently injured on the ground, Smith pushed his head into the turf.
The Roosters were awarded the penalty and Maloney shook off his knock to convert the penalty and give the Chooks a 2-0 lead after eight minutes.
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7.55pm - First half underway
ENTERPRISING stuff from the Roosters early, including a clever break from Jake Friend out of dummy half, but the Knights have been holding on in defence.
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Sonny Bill Williams warms up before the preliminary final. Source: Getty Images
7.01pm - Sonny Bill Williams cleared to play
SONNY Bill Williams has overcome a bout of food poisoning and will take his place in the Roosters side to take on the Knights.
Trent Robinson has made just one change to the team named on Tuesday, with Dylan Napa replacing Luke O'Donnell on the bench.
Roosters: Anthony Minichiello (c), Daniel Tupou, Michael Jennings, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Friend, Sam Moa, Aidan Guerra, Sonny Bill Williams, Frank Paul Nuuausuala. Interchange: Daniel Mortimer, Mitchell Aubusson, Isaac Liu, Dylan Napa.
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6.54pm - Knights team is in
KEVIN Naiqama replaces James McManus on the wing, as was revealed yesterday. No other changes.
KNIGHTS: Darius Boyd, Wes Naiqama, Dane Gagai, Joseph Leilua, Akuila Uate, Jarrod Mullen (c), Tyrone Roberts, David Fa'alogo, Danny Buderus, Willie Mason, Robbie Rochow, Scott, Jeremy Smith. Bench: Matt Hilder, Chris Houston, Neville Costigan, Alex McKinnon.
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Source: Getty Images
6.30pm - Welcome to Roosters v Knights
THE Roosters have enjoyed an outstanding season, claiming the minor premiership in Trent Robinson's first year as coach.
But it will all count for very little if supercoach Wayne Bennett and his Knights can deny them a grand final berth against the Manly Sea Eagles in tonight's preliminary final at Allianz Stadium.
Robinson admitted the Roosters' ASADA drama this week had proven an unwanted distraction but the Knights have had a distraction of their own, with Bennett refusing to end the rumours linking him with a move to the Cowboys.
We'll have the final teams to you about an hour before the scheduled 7.45pm AEDT kick-off, including the latest on Sonny Bill Williams and his bout of food poisoning.
Then stay up to date with all the key moments throughout the huge clash.
For live scores, stats, SuperCoach points and more, go to MATCH CENTRE .
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