The craft of Sam Walker and a barnstorming performance from Naufahu Whyte has led the Roosters to a third straight win and a spot inside the top eight – for the night at least.
Walker’s sublime kicking and the power of 2025 revelation Whyte was on show all night as the Roosters outclassed the Bulldogs 32-12 on Friday night.
The Roosters scored five tries to two, including a hattrick to Daniel Tupou, bringing their tally over their last three outings to 19 tries and a for and against in the same period of 114-28.
The energy on the field at Allianz Stadium was matched by the crowd of 31,399, but the third placed Bulldogs couldn’t keep pace with the resurgent Roosters.
The game began at the speed and intensity of a semi final and the Roosters were the first to crack on ten minutes when Bulldogs’ skipper Stephen Crichton put Enari Tuala over in the corner. The breakthrough came after sustained pressure following an unsavoury cannonball tackle by Billy Smith on Sam Hughes that saw the tricolours’ centre put on report.
It took just five minutes for the Roosters to reply when a pinpoint Walker bomb saw Tupou outleap the smaller Tuala to touchdown.
A penalty goal to Walker, followed by a fortuitous try to Whyte after the ball ricocheted off Angus Crichton into a Bulldogs tackler and over the line for Whyte to pounce, saw the home side leading 14-6 at the break in one of the halves of the season.
Five minutes into the second term Whyte stamped himself on the game again when he charged over the top of Lachlan Galvin and through two other Dogs’ defenders to grab his second.
Tupou and Walker were at it again nine minutes later, the veteran winger again launching himself over Tuala before catching the ball and carrying a pair of Bulldogs over the line.
Matt Burton did his best to keep Canterbury in the game with an 85m intercept but it was never going to be enough.
Tupou put the icing on the cake with his third inside the final three minutes.
The clash also turned ugly late, with several scuffles forcing referee Grant Atkins to call James Tedesco forward.
He informed him he wouldn’t be tolerating any more shirtfronting in the closing stages of what was an enthralling contest.
Tupou bests Beaver
When Tupou scored his first half try, the 180th of his career, he equaled Steve Menzies for fourth on the NRL all-time try scorers list. Early in the second half Tupou surpassed the Manly great. By the end of the game, he set sail for Billy Slater’s third all-time total of 190.
Tupou now also has 15 tries in his last 11 games, with the 34-year-old showing no signs of slowing down, despite his 286 appearances.
Tupou signed a one year extension during the 2023 season and in 2024, amid speculation he would retire, the three-time Premiership winner and Roosters’ greatest ever tryscorer locked in another two seasons.
In the footsteps of JWH
While Walker and James Tedesco have received most of the plaudits for the Roosters’ late season surge, the form of Whyte continues to impress.
The question before the season for the Roosters was who would step up and lead their forwards following the departure of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. The answer now is Whyte.
The 23-year-old was immense tonight, playing the entire first half at lock after Trent Robinson elected to start Spencer Leniu up front, with Victor Radley moving to the edge and Egan Butcher sliding back to the pine.
Aside from his two tries, which doubled his career tally, he had just about as many running metres as his representative teammates Leniu and Lindsay Collins, combined.
Roosters skipper James Tedesco praised Whyte’s development this season.
“I’ve really felt this year he’s just grown and matured as a person, as a player and he’s really turned into a leader,” Tedesco said.
“You see how he goes about his business, week in, week out. He prepares so well, and those performances aren’t really surprising, to be honest, because he’s been doing that all year for us.
“It’s not just nice carries, it’s those little things off the ball that he’s really worked hard on and he’s just becoming one of the best front rowers in the game.
“(with) Spence (Leniu) and Linds (Collins), those three are just leading the way for us and they’ve been awesome.”
Roosters’ relief
The win was just the third of the season at Allianz Stadium for the Roosters alongside six losses.
They have one final match at home against their archrivals, the Rabbitohs, in round 27, in what is shaping as a sold out blockbuster.
TEAMS
Roosters team: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Hugo Savala 7. Sam Walker 17. Spencer Leniu 14. Benaiah Ioelu 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 8. Naufahu Whyte 9. Connor Watson 12. Egan Butcher 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Blake Steep. 18th man: 18. Ethan King
Bulldogs team: 21. Connor Tracey 1. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Enari Tuala 6. Matt Burton 7. Lachlan Galvin 8. Max King 9. Bailey Hayward 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Josh Curran 17. Reed Mahoney. 18th man: 2. Jethro Rinakama
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