Match Report: NSW Cup Round 1 vs Roosters
Michael AlgeriSun 5 Mar 2023, 06:12 PM
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Big performances from fullback Jahream Bula and second rower Kitione Kautoga led the home side to a smashing victory in front of a sold-out Leichhardt crowd.
After just six minutes, a sweet Brandon Wakeham short ball put Kitione Kautoga into a hole to cross on the right, before a show and go from halfback Sandon Smith levelled proceedings for the Roosters.
The two sides again traded first-half points when Sione Fainu crashed over under the posts, and winger Ethan Clark-Wood crossed in the right corner.
The Fijian combination of Wakeham and Kautoga continued late in the first stanza when the rampaging back-rower collected a kick to score in the 34th minute, and he bulldozed over the cover defence to secure his hat-trick to open the second-half scoring.
The highlight of the match however, was when fullback Jahream Bula broke through a seemingly endless amount of tackles to score one of the tries of the season.
Kautoga wasn’t the only edge forward to prove a handful, as Brandon Tumeth capitalised off two Will Smith short balls to score a double and extend the Magpies scoring out to 40 points.
With ten minutes to go, Junior Tupou produced a neat finish to cross in the left corner, concluding the Magpies scoring for the afternoon with Wests scoring a 44-18 win.
