Boyd Cordner

With both sides in some decent form heading into the game, no-one would have been expecting the Sydney Roosters to blow the New Zealand Warriors off the park, but they did.

With the game being played in New Zealand, the Warriors were expected to put in a strong showing but instead, they were demolished by a Roosters side that welcomed back Jake Friend and Sonny Bill Williams.

The warning is an ominous one for rival teams as the Tricolours ran out convincing 46-12 winners in what was a dominant display.

The loss has put the Warriors chances of a finals spot in jeopardy for two main reasons – no two points and a big blow to their points differential.

Things were not looking too bad at half-time, with the Roosters holding a 10-point lead – some defensive errors ended up costing the Warriors despite a good completion rate.

The second half was a different story as the floodgates opened and the Roosters ran away with the game, despite Sam Tomkins’ best efforts to keep his side’s slim hopes alive.

The loss means that the Warriors are now faced with a stark reality. Win against the Gold Coast and Penrith and finals footy is achievable in 2014. Lose either game and they are out.

Coach Andrew McFadden was not about to beat around the bush, disappointed with his side’s effort in every sense.

“I’ll admit that’s pretty disappointing, it’s probably one of the most disappointing games of the season really,” McFadden said.

“We had everything to play for but we certainly didn’t come up with much today. It was well below our best and something we’ll definitely have to look into.

“I thought we lacked a bit of conviction with our play there. We had a plan that I think would have worked, but I didn’t see much of that so it’s something we’ll look into, but there were lots of other disappointing areas as well.

“I didn’t see it coming. I thought our preparation was really good but I think there is something there…I haven’t got any answers for you now.”

As for Roosters coach Trent Robinson, it was a team performance and the first-half is what set up the win as a whole.

“I thought we set up the game well in the first half and then really put it away in the second half. It was a really good performance from our guys,” said Robinson.

“You want to start well, especially against the Warriors who have been starting well this year.

“We knew we had to start well and you have to apply pressure before you get your rewards, and I think we did that.

“I thought we backed up the last three weeks, we have built over that period and our first real big test was going to be coming here [Auckland] with the position the Warriors were in.”

By ricky

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