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The Grubber: Power Rankings Round 5

With the Grubber only falling one game short of a perfect round, he has his finger well and truly on the pulse after 5 Rounds of the NRL in 2008. You can bet he will make South Sydney pay dearly for costing him a perfect round, so expect to see the Rabbits remaining in the wilderness on the Power Rankings ladder.

1. Brisbane Broncos 9/10: Impressed with some sublime attacking movements in a game that Newcastle tried their hearts out in. Winning these away games proves the Broncos are really set to ruffle plenty of feathers this year. Continuing to look good without Darren Lockyer. You get the feeling they are building for the “Win it for Benny!” NRL Premiership year.

Grubbers Comment: Odds of Brisbane sending Kurt Gidley a thank-you card for his goal kicking performance? 4/1

2. Sydney Roosters 9/10: With the top 4 teams all winning away from home and locked on 8 points, differential came into this weeks power rankings. The Roosters braved an early onslaught from Penrith and were patient while they were starved of quality ball. Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta are growing better with every game, their combination and understanding is class leading. Confidence bubbling out of control and they seem to have decent depth in the forwards now.

Grubbers Comment: Chances of Craig Fitzgibbon getting plastic surgery to shave a few years off his life and increase his chances of a new deal at Bondi? 10/1

3. Gold Coast Titans 8.5/10: Nabbing an away win was a major milestone for the young club, the Titans have a good roster and with Mat Rogers slotting into pivot well - they are looking mighty good for the Top 8. Form of Nathan Friend is especially good for the Gold Coast boys. Even Preston Campbell is playing with additional confidence and good hands, will continue to hold their high spot on the ladder barring any injury crisis.

Grubbers Comment: Chances of the Titans ever winning a fashion award, after playing is possibly the wimpiest looking pale blue strip ever seen in the Rugby League world? 1000/1

4. Melbourne Storm 8.5/10: The Premiers were back with a bang after hammering last years Grand Final opponent. Played stylish football and used a physical style in the forwards that left Manly really limping away from this loss. Desire looks to be coming back and with some minor positional changes will be back to their best. Greg Inglis could be better served away from the pivot role.

Grubbers Comment: I refuse to call the guy Cam Smith. It must be a gee-up, there is no way anyone could be that precious - could they Cameron?

5. Cronulla Sharks 8/10: Ricky Stuart’s rag-tag bunch of tackling machines did it again. They are winning the close contests in 2008 and while their points differential is hard to swallow at -3 they Sharks deserve their spot and possess a desire and attitude that many other NRL teams just don’t have. Their style of game really suits semi-final standards and should they hobble into the Top 8 (which they should, come years end) they will really be a good dark horse.

Grubbers Comment: Likelihood of the NRL approaching the Cronulla Sharks and threatening to kick them out of the competition if they don’t start embracing a more enjoyable style of Rugby League? 15/1

6. NZ Warriors 7/10: Bounced back superbly to take down the Bulldogs at home. Showed much greater depth and structure in attack and proved they are still the real deal, even without Steve Price and Wade McKinnon in the ranks. Manu Vatuvei still gives everyone heart problems, but his aggressive attack is hard to resist and many teams simply cannot tackle him. Are still vulnerable to kicking with Vatuvei and even Lance Hohia not possessing the height or skills to ward off the top teams.

Grubbers Comment: Odds of Manu Vatuvei having more gold in his teeth than Mr-T had around his neck? 3/1

7. Canberra Raiders 7/10: Never say die. Simply an amazing comeback and topped off with a champagne performance from Todd Carney. Somehow manage to keep finding players, even with injury problems and the suspended Weyman the Raiders still field a strong team. Hold huge advantages on the edges with tall, rangy and fast men - will catch a few more teams napping this season. Defence must also be commended.

Grubbers Comment: Chances of Raiders management telling the players to “Win it for Neil Henry this year!” 5000/1

8. Newcastle Knights 6.5/10: The Knights sneak in above the Cowboys after performing valiantly against the might of the Broncos. Despite a young and newly combining team, they seem to be improving quicker than many other teams and possess a good amount of belief. Brian Smith must surely deserve some praise for his efforts, after copping plenty of sprays in recent times. Will come into their own around Origin time if Danny Buderus isn’t picked for hooking duties and they could catch some undermanned teams napping.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Cooper Vuna is somehow a distant blood relative to Manu Vatuvei as they both possess similar handling skills? 4/1

9. North Queensland Cowboys 6.5/10: Pulled off a nice raid on the lacklusture St George Illawarra Dragons and managed to come away with the tough victory at WIN Stadium. Probably were below their best and miss the speed and creativity of Matt Bowen. Forwards are starting to do their job and making things easier for Jonathan Thurston, however Ty Williams is costing them at times with poor decisions in defence and attack.

Grubbers Comment: Chances that Graham Murray is able to safely run ‘boxing’ drills at training, with the likes of Carl Webb and Luke O’Donnell in the ranks? 50/1

10. Bulldogs  6/10: The Doggies fought bravely against the NZ Warriors in Round 5 of the NRL, even with little possession they kept hanging in there. Need a feature player in the halves to set them apart, when their forwards are on top - they lack the genuine creativity from a prominent playmaker to get them ahead. So while they are fighting above their weight at present, I can’t see them consistently performing at this level.

Grubbers Comment: Chances of the Bulldogs taking their family club slogan to new heights, by inviting the ‘60 Minutes: Father and Daughter Couple’ to be their no.1 ticket holders for next season? 10/1

11. Wests Tigers 6/10: The injury riddled Tigers still looked like heavy weights in the first 3/4 of their match against the Raiders. Come to think of it, I still don’t know how they lost! Attack looked well structured and Matt Head slotted in very, very well - kicking and passing astutely. Bryce Gibbs looks heavier but more potent in attack but it seems most likely that fitness is hurting the Wests side. They seem to lose not only concentration, but also potency in the back end of games.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Tim Sheens will revert to a Jason Taylor style sideline rant if the Tigers blow another big lead again? 3/1

12. Parramatta Eels 5.5/10: Surprised everybody with a rare loss at Parramatta Stadium. While Tim Smith has copped a trashing in the media over his role, the real problem is the Eels defence - which is the worst in the NRL. Feliti Mateo and Brett Finch might help spark some attack, but they will need more go forward from the hooker. With Piggy not 100% and the Eels losing PJ Marsh, the dummy half play has been their quiet killer too.

Grubbers Comment: Odds of Parramatta management holding an inquiry into the influence of Andrew Johns on their halves? 5/1

13. Manly Sea Eagles 5.5/10: Are quickly gaining the tag ‘chokers’. Fizzled out badly under the blow torch and many of their big names were the worst culprits. Matt Orford and Anthony Watmough went missing and the Sea Eagles were barreled out of contention in the blink of an eye. While they can produce good defence and attack at times, their ability in physical arm wrestles remains to be seen. Hard to see how they will evolve this year.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Matt Orford killed off those vicious rumours about him failing in big time matches? 100/1

14. Penrith Panthers 5.5/10: Probably a little hard done by in the rankings this week, but the Panthers still managed to lose a game at home - even to the highly ranked Roosters. Had enough ball in the early periods of this match to put on more points but just couldn’t do it. The mental state of the players at the Penrith is a real concern, they have been losing for so long now - they probably could do with a full clean out to rid the players of mental scars. Matt Elliott might have the coaching ability, but does his personality affect team morale and performance?

Grubbers Comment: The likelihood of Luke Priddis playing for the Panthers beyond 2008? 10,000/1

15. St George Illawarra Dragons 5/10: The Dragons found yet another way to lose an NRL game and even playing at their usual WIN Stadium stronghold couldn’t help them. Rumour has it that almost every other NRL team considers the Dragons a ’soft’ side and holds no fears playing them. Their problems evolve from the forward pack, key forwards have been cherry picked over the years and they remain lifeless up the middle. Nathan Brown must be starting to look forward to leaving the sinking ship by the look of it.

Grubbers Comment: Percentage of Dragons players remaining at the club under Wayne Bennett? 10%

16. South Sydney Rabbitohs 4/10: The pressure really told on the Bunnies. Jason Taylor emulating Nathan Brown during his junior years and approaching players on the sideline. The usually calm and calculating Taylor buckled under the pressure and exposed his in-experience at the highest level. Souths are probably guilty of trying too hard, they had plenty of ball yet still couldn’t get over the stripe. When you think back to last year, they still only won games with their defence. Need to decide on the best possible halves pairing and stick with it through thick and thin. Dean Widders is out of sorts and possibly needs a spell, Issac Luke can’t come back fast enough.

Grubbers Comment: Odds of Jason Taylor taking his coaching even closer to the action and donning a jersey in the weeks ahead? 5/1

Ricky Ricardo: Sharks doing enough to win

The South Sydney Rabbitohs had the chance to get off to the perfect start in tonights match, missing a strong early chance - in the end, this turning out to be the story of their night; close but no cigar for the misfiring Rabbitohs. Despite a gallant effort from co captains Roy Asotasi and David Kidwell, the Rabbitohs could not deliver the knockout punch to steal victory from the gritty and determined Cronulla Sharks.

It was obviously the battle of two teams who struggle to turn on the entertainment in attack, while the overall closeness of the contest was enjoyable - it was simply a matter of the Sharks doing enough to win and the Rabbits struggling to string more than 2 passes together after the most dummy half running we have seen from a team since Manly in 2005.

Brett Kimmorley and Brad Seymour both having strong games for the Sharks, using a smart kicking game, forcing the Rabbitohs backline to work hard to get the ball out of their own in-goal area. The Sharks through sheer weight of defence, let the Rabbitohs back into the game when they scored 10 unanswered points. However the robust, scrambling defence of the Sharks got them home. Kimmorley playing a vital role in his sides win, playing strongly without overdoing it and certainly keeping his chances for Origin in good stead.

Brett Kearney also stood out thanks to his goal-line defence and blistering runs out of dummy half wreaking havoc for the Rabbitohs. Kearney has been such a weapon for Cronulla in 2008, injured for much of last season his acceleration is comparable to that of Kurt Gidley and the two custodians are not dissimilar in their classy efforts from the back.

The Sharks opened the scoring in the 13^th minute courtesy of a Greg Bird try as Brett Kimmorley signaled his intentions early with some excellent last tackle options. Some poor ball handling skills by the Sharks just before half time, gave the Rabbitohs a glimmer of hope. The Rabbitohs chipping aways at the Sharks line until it finally cracked right on half time, big John Sutton crashing over to give his side some hope in the second term.

Overall in a mediocre affair, the Sharks were impressive in their defence and coach Ricky Stuart would have been happy with their effort especially in the second half. Coach Stuart acknowledging in the post game interview that he is still happy with the Sharks performances despite still struggling to score points.

The Sharks remain at the top of the NRL Ladder joining the likes of the Broncos, Roosters and Titans as early pace setters. Only time will tell if the no-name Sharks can maintain their early form and keep up with the larger squads of the Roosters, Storm and Broncos.

As for the Rabbitohs, despite a spirited performance, they remain winless after five rounds. The pressure will keep mounting on the club as well as on coach Jason Taylor. He also risks a fine for the controversial on field gathering of players during game time. But in a game of boring, tight football - it was certainly a case of the Sharks, doing just enough to win. Something they are managing to do more consistently in 2008.

Battle of the Grind, Sharks sink Bunnies 12-10

In possibly the poorest quality NRL game this year, the Cronulla Sharks have again defended stoutly for most of the second half to hold out the Rabbitohs 12-10 at ANZ Stadium.

With two tries apiece, it was the goal kicking of Luke Covell that got the Sharks home - consigning the South Sydney side to 0 wins from 5 stars in the 2008 NRL.

With both sides battling to find cohesion in attack, the Bunnies resorted to constant 1 out plays that did actually see them get plenty of metres up the middle of the field. But when the Rabbitohs got within 20m of the Sharks line it all fell down, dropped ball, poor passing, mix-up’s and poor kicking saw them turn the ball over consistently.

Even after several repeat sets and wave after wave of pressure, the Bunnies couldn’t crack the Sharks line. To Cronulla’s credit, they dug deep and with little ball or field position in the second half they were still able to grind out the win.

The game wasn’t without controversy. Jason Taylor risking a fine and possible loss of competition points if his team won, by calling the whole team off the field at one stage after a try was scored. The coach using the time to give his players a pep-talk in scenes never before seen in the NRL.

In a game where there were plenty of penalties, the ruck area was again under the spotlight. This time it was the Sharks’ Greg Bird performing what was a ’soccer dive’ in what is a really sad situation for the NRL. Previously warning of ramifications before, the NRL needs to clamp down on this immediately and should cite Greg Bird for this poor act of play. The referee having no choice but to blow a penalty, but gee it was a shockingly overdone dive.

The Sharks never seem far from the spotlight, with the previous Gallen incidents earlier this year and his well highlighted dive last year - now Greg Bird gets to join his bash brother in the hall of shame.

For the Sharks, their forwards deserve the accolades. Consistently putting in and churning out the metres, without Lance Thompson - they all lifted a gear. Luke Covell and Brett Kearney were impressive at the back, both defending well and getting their team out of danger on several occasions.

Brett Kimmorley was impressive without being outstanding and continues to remain a choice for NSW Origin selectors.

For Souths it’s back to the drawing boards and without the likes of Issac Luke and Craig Wing running their attack plays, a win still looks a long way off for the Redfern boys.

Finch in demand

It’s been an impressive return to the spotlight for Brett Finch, the previously maligned halfback has emerged as the best halfback prospect on the open market as the Eels delay any offer for fear of salary cap breaches. Things may change quickly at Parramatta, with incumbent halfback Tim Smith choosing to go on indefinite leave and forcing the club to make a play for Finch or risk losing two quality players in the same year.

Unwanted by the Roosters after a high profile move from Canberra several years ago, Finch seems to have won the respect of the greater NRL community with some tough performances over the first few rounds of the 2008 NRL. Playing behind a beaten pack and still standing out, making his performances even more impressive.

With Brett Finch and his manager frustrated at the lack of a genuine offer from the Eels, they chose to go to market and test Finch’s value in the open waters. Immediately getting interest, with the St George Illawarra Dragons and even the Melbourne Storm indicating they want to bid on Finch. Certainly a smart play by Finch and his manager to hit the open market at a time when the halfback / five-eighth is playering his best football, stirring up media interest and instantly inflating his price.

His link to the Dragons would complete the family circle - as his father Robert, the referees’ coach, played his entire career at St George.

Wayne Bennett has been in touch with the Dragons about players for 2009 and is reported to have earmarked a number of players of interest.

Former Brisbane rake Luke Priddis, told he was unwanted by Penrith for ‘09, could join Bennett at St George Illawarra in 2009 along with current Panthers teammate Luke Rooney.

Broncos number 9 Michael Ennis is also off contract and could weigh into the Dragons’ plans, depending on Priddis’s movements, prop Ben Hannant is also available and, while the Broncos want to renew his deal, he has spoken to the Gold Coast Titans.

While the Dragons’ interest in Finch is understandable, the Storm’s decision to chase is certainly interesting.

The Storm already have a winning halfback in Cooper Cronk and any link to Finch could be suggest that Greg Inglis’s days at pivot could be over.

Inglis has never played as a traditional No.6 in Melbourne’s tailored attacking structure, although he occasionally drifts into second receiver.

That role, however, is filled by an assortment of players, with fullback Billy Slater notably starring over the opening month of the season as he takes a more hands-on role in attack.

Parramatta’s ability to make Finch a competitive offer is contingent on hooker Mark Riddell’s future.

Meanwhile, Roosters’ prop David Shillington has admitted he is likely to be forced out of the club next season as the tri-colours are feeling the salary-cap squeeze that was always going to follow the acquisition of Bulldogs’ Test duo Willie Mason and Mark O’Meley.

It caps a poor week for the 22-year-old giant, who became the first victim of coach Brad Fittler’s stringent alcohol policy, which prohibits drinking on all but one day of the week.

The Grubber set for Perfect Round

NRL News expert, the Grubber - is set to record his first perfect round of tips for 2008, with the prominent NRL analyst only needing the South Sydney Rabbitohs to win and he gets a clean sheet. It’s a big call, can the Bunnies get over the Cronulla Sharks, kings of the grind?

The Grubber was impressive, correctly predicting some tough games, starting with the Titans in a close win over the Eels and then backing it up with the prediction of the Cowboys being too strong for the Dragons at WIN Stadium.

The Grubber has left the office early today to make the trek out to ANZ Stadium and cheer on the Bunnies, he also tells us that TAB Sportsbet are calling him regularly, trying to entice him to join their NRL panel prediction team that delivers the odds each week on the ensuing matches. From the outhouse to the penthouse, the Grubber is well and truly off suicide watch now.

Tim Smith Walks Away

Under pressure Parramatta Eels half-back Tim Smith has today sought indefinite leave from the club to get away from constant media pressure and to deal with on-going illness that has dogged him for the past 18 months. Its been widely reported that Tim Smith has battled alcoholism, but today he announced he has also been fighting bi-polar disorder at the same time.

The promising half has faced plenty of speculation at such a young age, Smith only 23 burst onto the scene and took Parramatta all the way in 2005 - the minor premiers missing out on the Grand Final after a loss to the Cowboys. The story was the same in 2007, with Smith combining well with Brett Finch to take the Eels close to the Grand Final.

Many have criticized Tim Smiths failure to run the ball to the line, the creative half preferring to rely on an astute passing game and pinpoint kicking game. When the Eels are winning, the talk of Smith’s failure to take on the line seems to die down. But in 2008 with inconsistent Eels form, he has faced consistent pressure from the media.

Citing illness and the pressure building around him, Tim Smith and manager David Riolo arrived at Eels training today to announce the half will be stepping down immediately.

It’s expected tomorrow that Eels coach Michael Hagan will select Brett Finch at halfback and Feliti Mateo at five-eighth. A combination that was working for Parramatta in earlier season games. The Eels will no doubt miss the short kicking game of Tim Smith - while he had his knockers, few could hold the ball on a string like Smith could.

The news wasn’t all bad for the Eels, with big centre Ben Smith making a successful comeback from injury in the lower grades last weekend and ready for selection in the Eels top squad.

We’d like to hear you opinion on Tim Smith and the situation at Parramatta.

Was the pressure and speculation around Smith warranted or was it too critical too soon after his comeback?

How do you think Parramatta will respond to the changes in the halves, will they see immediate results?

Canberra in comeback win 30-24 over Tigers

The Wests Tigers started so well, it never looked like they would be run down in this NRL Round 5 fixture. The Canberra Raiders certainly had other ideas. After going into half time at 24-10, the Raiders returned and led by an outstanding Todd Carney they clawed their way back into the fight.

The talented Todd Carney kicked to perfection and ran to the line at all the right times, getting himself an impressive solo try to get his side into the box seat. The Wests Tigers went from hero’s to zero’s as they tried valliantly to keep a hold of the match, the wounded Tigers given some hope by a strong debut by Matthew Head for his new club. The experienced Head ran the show well and kicked sweetly in a display that will give coach Tim Sheens some good options at the club.

But it was Todd Carney who stole the show - brushing off several Tigers defenders and running 70 metres to score, handing the Raiders the lead, before Adrian Purtell scored his third try in the 80th minute to secure the victory.

Carney was well supported by hooker Lincoln Withers but Raiders five-eighth Terry Campese had a scratchy game, repeatedly kicking straight to Tigers full-back Brett Hodgson.

The Tigers opened the scoring with a third-minute try from Taniela Tuiaki try, while half-back Mathew Head looked dangerous throughout the first half on debut for the visitors. It’s hard to pin point exactly where the Tigers went wrong, they held their own in statistics department and looked well structured in attack - they just needed to score more second half points to be any chance. A decision not to take a penalty shot at goal from right in front to give them a 10 point lead proved to be a bad choice, they proceeded to take the tap and lose possession quickly afterwards.

The Canberra Raiders were noteably impressive in defence and will have pleased coach Neil Henry with their solid second half defensive effort. Several try savers from the green machine preventing certain Wests trys to keep their scoresheet clean in the second term.

The only negative for Canberra was the decision of referee Sean Hampstead to place interchange player Trevor Thurling on report for a lifting tackle. Thurling looking to be in some trouble for a dangerous lifting tackle. For the Tigers, their loss proves costly - starting out with some impressive form early in the season, they have now lost 3 games against lower ranked opponents in the Bulldogs, Panthers and Raiders to pile more pressure on themselves.

Broncos slick in disposal of Knights 34-22

The Brisbane Broncos have remained in touch at the top of the NRL Ladder, today disposing of the Newcastle Knights comfortably and keeping touch with the Sydney Roosters as the form team of this years premiership. Hooker Michael Ennis a stand-out for the Broncos along with Dave Taylor in their strong win away from home.

Michael Ennis grabbed two tries and potted seven goals as the Broncos got over the Knights 34-22 in Newcastle. Ennis crossed twice midway through the opening half as the Broncos took full advantage of a strong southerly breeze at their backs to lead 26-8 at the break.

The Knights rallied in the second half with Kurt Gidley and Cory Paterson both crossing to complete try-scoring doubles and pull Newcastle within 10 points before Broncos skipper Justin Hodges grabbed a 30-metre intercept try for his second of the day in the 68th minute to secure the win.

Knights backrower Chris Houston scored a late consolation try in the 77th minute as both sides finished with five tries for the afternoon.

On a day when four players grabbed try-scoring doubles, former Newcastle junior Ennis stood above the pack.

He completed a strong Dave Taylor bust to run over in the 25th minute and then won the battle to catch Peter Wallace’s midfield bomb and score his second try in the 36th minute.

Either side of his tries were dummy-half breaks, and his goal kicking proved a huge difference, converting each of the Broncos five tries and adding two penalty goals while Gidley raised the flags on just one of five conversion attempts.

Broncos full-back Karmichael Hunt also stood out with a superb individual try just prior to half-time as he dummied through the line and then past Knights counterpart Gidley for a 50-metre try.

Ennis was everywhere in the first half after he made a midfield break in the sixth minute and looked to put Tonie Carroll on his way until Scott Dureau dragged the big lock down a few metres from the line.

But the Broncos swung the ball wide and Hodges hit the line hard to score.

The Knights struck back with Gidley scoring from an attacking scrum 10 metres out as he ran around Hodges and the Broncos defence to score in the corner.

Hodges was caught out again six minutes later, rushing out of the line as Knights hooker Danny Buderus threw the ball to Paterson to cross, but Gidley again missed the near sideline attempt and Newcastle led 8-6.

The Knights’ loss may come at further cost with half-back Dureau limping off with ankle ligament damage midway through the second half. To their credit, the rebuilding Knights were competitive and had their chances at various stages - standing up to the fancied Broncos, the Novacastrians will certainly be Top 8 chances if they can repeat this form consistently.

Warriors in good win over Dogs 36-16

The NZ Warriors have put in a strong showing at home to defeat the Bulldogs to the tune of 36-16 in NRL Round 5 2008.

Getting off to the best possible start, the Warriors scoring early and looking like they could chalk up a big win and eventually that’s what happened. Their early possession was a pleasure to watch - they attack was sublime as they set their line deep and put the ball through plenty of hands, the home side getting two tries within 10 minutes to Manu Vatuvei and Patrick Ah Van - with the scoreboard attendant kept real busy.

On the back of possession, the Warriors really had the Bulldogs struggling. Sonny Bill Williams making things harder for his team with two poor offloads early on that kept his team on the back foot. Brent Tate was at his attacking best for the NZ Warriors, getting a tryn

As they so often do, the Bulldogs counter attacked and were surprisingly back in the game as they registered points to trail 10-6 midway through the half. With an ounce of confidence and some more ball, the Dogs were back into the game and forcing a bit of an arm wrestle.

The Bulldogs were well and truly back just before half time, Ben Roberts scoring a try to get his side ahead 12-10. As scrappy as they were, the Bulldogs were doing enough to keep in the game and as the possession evened out - it gave them a real shot.

But with the ball in hand, it was the Warriors who looked much sharper in attack. Even without Steve Price and Wade McKinnon, the NZ Warriors are still looking the goods - imagine what they will perform like when the stars are back on deck.

The second half panned out well for the home side, Manu Vatuvei might look horrible when catching a ball in defence - but the winger with teeth like Mr-T does look dangerous when he attacks. Everytime he got an inch of space, he was dangerous - running hard at the line and giving his team great thrust.

The Warriors through sustained pressure, got tries to experienced Ruben Wiki after a poor Sonny Bill shoulder charge attempt from 2m out from his line - big Wiki reaching out to score. And the Warriors running in late tries to put it beyond doubt.

Roosters roll on, easily beating Panthers 28-12

The Sydney Roosters haven’t looked back in 2008, this week getting another impressive win over the Panthers at CUA Stadium. Freddy’s men proving they have the consistentcy and playing roster depth to be a real threat in this years premiership.

Second half tries to Amos Roberts, Craig Fitzgibbon and Mitchell Pearce sealed the win for the visitors after they had led 10-6 at the break in front of a healthy crowd of almost 17,000 at CUA Stadium.

The Roosters did it all without key stars Anthony Minichiello (back), Willie Mason (knee) and David Shillington (alcohol breach) while the Panthers had full-back Rhys Wesser ruled out before kick-off with a corked thigh.

The tri-colours’ win, their fourth in the five games to open 2008, put them level with the Titans on eight competition points and continued their fine record under coach Brad Fittler.

Panthers winger Luke Rooney had a nightmare second-half as the home side failed to match the discipline and determination in defence shown in the first 40 minutes.

The Roosters capitalised on two blunders from the former Australia winger to score just three minutes after the break through Roberts.

Rooney made a meal of a bomb, giving the Roosters back-to-back sets, and then let a Braith Anasta grubber kick to slide through his hands, allowing Roberts to pounce and score under the posts.

The Roosters had two tries disallowed by the video referee, but were in again in the 63rd minute when Rooney failed to defuse another bomb and Fitzgibbon was on hand to finish the job.

Half-back Mitchell Pearce capped another fine performance which enhanced his claims for the New South Wales half-back jersey when he stepped his way over for a fine solo try 10 minutes later.

The Panthers grabbed a late consolation when Michael Jennings broke the line and sent Geoff Daniela over.

The only sour point of the loss for the Roosters came through injuries to back-rower Setaimata Sa (knee) and prop Mark O’Meley (hamstring), who left the field early in the second half and didn’t return.

The first half was much more encouraging for the home fans, and the Panthers looked well in the contest when Souths-bound back-rower Luke Lewis ran 40m to score a fine solo try and cancel out Shaun Kenny-Dowall’s opener.

But substitute Frank Paul Nuuausala scored his first NRL in the 32nd minute try to send the Roosters into the break four points ahead and their lead was not threatened again.

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