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[Guest]

Late Todd Carney try helps Sydney Roosters beat West Tigers 12-8

By Ian Mccullough
May 02, 2010

Todd Carney's late try has sealed a narrow 12-8 win for Sydney Roosters in a low-scoring but entertaining encounter at Campbelltown Stadium.

The Tigers led for 74 minutes, but were made to pay for a series of missed opportunities due to a combination of poor handling and some magnificent defending from the Roosters in an arm-wrestle of a second half.

Both sides lined up with new halfback combinations due to injury problems, with Carney moving from fullback into the No.7 shirt in place of Mitchell Pearce and Robbie Farah making a similar move for the Tigers.

After spending the whole of his Roosters career at fullback, Carney endured a difficult afternoon on his return into the halves with a number of handling errors.

However the former Canberra star managed to come up with the match-winning try after Beau Ryan spilled a spiralling kick under pressure from Anthony Minichiello, to silence the home crowd and give his side the lead for the first time in the match.

Tim Sheens' decision to move Farah from hooker looked to have been vindicated as the Tigers dominated the opening 15 minutes.

However, despite having the Roosters on the back foot they only had Benji Marshall's early penalty to show for their efforts.

Marshall should have doubled his side's lead with another kick from just in front of the posts, but his poorly-executed effort hit the right upright.

That reprieve galvanised the Roosters, with Minichiello going very close, only to fumble the ball in the in-goal area after latching onto Sam Perrett's grubber-kick.

However, the former New South Wales and Australia fullback redeemed himself in the 21st-minute when he managed to barge a rampaging Lote Tuqiri into touch as the dual international charged towards the line.

Chris Heighington finally crossed the line for the hosts four minutes before the interval with a well-worked try that saw him race through the Roosters defence after latching onto Marshall's no-look pass.

The Roosters came racing out of the blocks in the second half and cut the deficit when prop Frank-Paul Nuuausala darted over after good work out of dummy-half from Nick Kouparitsas three minutes after the restart.

Carney's kick closed the Tigers' lead to two points as tempers started to fray on a warm afternoon in Sydney's western suburbs.

Braith Anasta was in the thick of the action as the players from both sides had to be pulled apart following a bust-up involving the Roosters skipper and Blake Ayshford that ended with Anasta being placed on report.

The Tigers continued to dominate in the latter stages, but were simply unable to breach the Roosters' line, with Nate Myles once again magnificent despite struggling with a hip injury.

Myles came up with the loose ball on the final play of the game to once again deny the hosts.

 

[Guest]

ROOSTERS BEAT WESTS TIGERS 12-8 IN NRL
2/05/2010 3:44:49 PM

Wests Tigers suffered a frustrating 12-8 loss to the Sydney Roosters at Campbelltown Sports Stadium today in round eight of the Telstra Premiership.

In a lack-lustred and mistake riddled match played in warm conditions at the redeveloped Campbelltown, Wests Tigers tried hard but were denied by a Todd Carney try late in the game in front of a crowd of 19, 901.

The match marked the 600th premiership game for Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens.

Wests Tigers prop Todd Payten made a suprise return after overcoming a calf injury.

Englishman Mark Flanagan dropped back to the interchange bench with Junior Moors dropping off the bench.

Western Suburbs Magpies hooker/half-back Nathan Waters made his NRL debut at the age of 25.

Wests Tigers elected to take a penalty attempt at goal from 15 metres out after prop Jason Ryles was penalised for holding down a man too long in a tackle. Five-eighth Benji Marshall converted the penalty attempt for a 2-0 lead after two minutes.

Winger Lote Tuqiri was forced into touch just a metre out from the tryline in the 10th minute after the ball was spread left through centre Chris Lawrence.

The Roosters have conceeded several penalties in the opening 10 minutes to give Wests Tigers plenty of posession.

Marshall elected to take another shot at goal after the Roosters werre penalised in the 11th minute for another infringement. His conversion attempt hit the left upright and fell into the arms of the Roosters.

The Roosters looked set to score in the 19th minute when a grubber kick by five-eighth Braith Anasta was placed in behind Tuqiri. Winger Sam Perrett raced through for the ball but couldn't ground it properly with referee Matt Cecchin knocking the ball on.

Sydney Roosters half-back Todd Carney produced the first 40/20 of the game in the 21st minute to give his team a scrum win inside the Tigers quarter.

In what has been a mistake riddled first half, Wests Tigers opened the scoring when second-rower Chris Heighington split through a two man tackle to race 22 metres to score. The try was awarded after a check for obstruction from full-back Beau Ryan was cleared.

Marshall converted the try for an 8-0 lead after 36 minutes.

The score remained that way until half-time.

2nd half
The Roosters opened their account in the 43rd minute when a short pass from dummy half by hooker Nick Kouparitsas saw prop Frank Paul Nuuausala dive over to score a soft try.

Half-back Todd Carney converted the try for an 8-6 scoreline.

Waters entered the field in the 55th minute to make his NRL debut. He is playing hooker with Farah remaining at half.

Anasta was placed on report a minute later for a high tackle around the head on Heighington.

The Roosters elected to take a tap 10 metres out from in front of the posts in the 60th minute after a spilt bomb saw a Wests Tigers player ruled offside in touching the ball.

Two plays later, the Roosters dropped the ball. A penalty conversion would have made it 8-8 all.

A forced mistake by winger Daniel Fitzhenry on a Roosters player gacve Wests Tigers a scrum feed 20 metres out in the middle of the field. However, the Roosters were let off the hook when Waters knocked the ball on from the scrum.

A towering bomb by Anasta was spilt by full-back Beau Ryan. Full-back Anthony Minichiello tackled Ryan off the ball before Carney followed it through to score behind the posts. Video referee Paul Simpkins awarded the try on the benefit of the doubt.

Carney converted the try for a 12-8 lead to the Roosters with three minutes remaining.

The Roosters held on to take the two competition points despite a late charge at the line by rookie prop Andrew Fifita, who again made some impressive runs.

The loss leaves Wests Tigers with four wins from eight matches. Wests Tigers have the bye next week.

 

[Guest]

Carney gets Roosters out of jail

Updated May 2, 2010 17:29:00

State of Origin hopeful Todd Carney has scored a contentious late try to steal the Sydney Roosters a 12-8 victory over Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium.

After trailing all afternoon in a frustrating, error-strewn affair, Carney cleaned up a Beau Ryan knock-on in-goal to score the go-ahead try.

But it appeared as if Anthony Minichiello took out the Tigers full-back without the ball after Ryan spilled the Braith Anasta bomb that set up the try in the 75th minute.

The Tigers fought viciously and brought the football the length of the field in a last-gasp effort to equalise, but Andrew Fifita was caught just short of the line as time ran out.

Carney would have been hoping for a solid showing to impress Origin selectors and his game was great in spots, his first half 40-20 atoning for dropping his first touch of the footy in the opening set.

Both teams spent the first half grappling for points in a tight contest indicative of what was at stake - a jump up the ladder into a tie for second place with the Panthers.

But for all the effort, it was also a 40-minute period riddled with turnovers and scoring opportunities gone begging at both ends of the park, and the Tigers maintained an 8-0 lead by the break.

Roosters prop Jason Ryles conceded it was an ugly victory, but a victory all the same.

"We couldn't have played any worse, so we were pretty lucky," he told Grandstand.

"Things didn't stick for those guys so we're pretty lucky to get away with it, thank God.

"You only do what you can do and we ended up getting the try off the kick at the end, very lucky but we'll take it.

He said coming off the Anzac Day loss to the Dragons last weekend was a tough challenge, but could not excuse the team's 14 handling errors.

"It was always going to be tough to back up this week," he said.

"It was definitely a mixture of fatigue and poor handling."

Lote Tuqiri and Sam Perrett had chances for their respective sides but could not manage to keep control of the football, and Robbie Farah's kicking game failed to come to the party on more than one attacking occasion.

The first four-pointer went on the board after Benji Marshall dummied to Ryan, before Chris Heighington ran onto the ball and pushed through the Roosters ranks to score untroubled.

The second half was more of the same, only with a narrower margin for the Roosters to overcome after Frank-Paul Nuuausala charged over the stripe to help the score to 8-6.

But for all the visitors' efforts they could not capitalise on field position, at one stage spending at least three sets of six in the Tigers' half and getting painfully close - but not close enough - to scoring again.

The Roosters also benefited from a couple of questionable penalty and knock-on calls gifted them possession in the Wests half, but their stuttering attack did not let them take advantage.

Frustration eventually showed through and twice the officials had to come between scuffles resulting from high shots.

Keith Galloway pounced onto a loose ball but the Rooster who dropped it, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, came through with a forearm into Galloway's neck that Heighington took exception to.

Later, Heighington was again unimpressed after Anasta made contact with a team-mate's head, resulting in the Roosters' five-eighth going on report.

 

[westTAHger]

the five minutes after half time continue to be a problem for wests-tigers.
roosters made the most of their chances and won the game.
dis-appointingly, it is simple as that.

 

[Guest]

Wests Tigers downed by late Roosters try
IAN MCCULLOUGH
May 2, 2010 - 5:54PM

AAP

The Wests Tigers were left scratching their heads on Sunday, trying to work out how they managed to lose 12-8 to the Sydney Roosters after dominating Sunday's NRL clash at Campbelltown Stadium.

The Tigers led for 74 minutes before Todd Carney's late try silenced the vocal 19,901 crowd to give the Roosters a gutsy win after they spent most of the second half stuck in their own half.

The Roosters were brilliant in defence, repelling a wave of attacks in sweltering conditions to hold the home side scoreless in the second half.

Carney completed a smash and grab victory for the Roosters when he touched down after Tigers fullback Beau Ryan spilled a high kick from Braith Anasta, to overturn a 8-0 halftime deficit.

Frank-Paul Nuuausala crossed just after halftime for the Roosters first four-pointer.

Carney's try was awarded by the video referee, who adjudged Ryan was not impeded by the onrushing Anthony Minichiello, and although Tigers skipper Robbie Farah questioned the decision, he admitted his side threw the game away.

"How do you come up with the benefit of the doubt? It is either a try or not a try," said Farah.

"He (Ryan) was denied the opportunity to get the ball back. It was a tough call. But we should have been in front by more and the game should have been put to bed by then. Our execution was poor and it cost us the game."

The defeat was the Tigers' third in as many games, and after a promising start to the season they now have a 4-4 record.

Assistant coach Royce Simmons admitted the team is struggling to cope without the services of halfbacks Tim Moltzen and Robert Lui.

Farah was forced to play in the No.7 shirt with Moltzen sidelined for the season with damaged anterior cruciate ligaments, and young playmaker Lui out with a knee injury.

"We are certainly not happy, we have dropped a couple of games and there is no doubt losing Moltzen and Lui at the same has hurt us," Simmons said.

"Nobody can carry three halfbacks in their squad due to salary cap pressures and to lose two at the same time. It is a blow to us.

"We are hoping to have Robbie (Lui) back for the Souths game after the bye next week and that should help us."

However Tigers second-rower Gareth Ellis said it would be wrong to blame the loss solely on the lack of a recognised halfback.

"I thought Robbie did really well at halfback and Liam Fulton was excellent at hooker so from that respect I don't think it was a huge factor, every team gets injuries and it is how you cope," the England international told AAP.

"It was a disappointing game, as I never thought we were going to lose and credit to the Roosters they never let the score get away from them.

"We did well to force some errors but we never took advantage of the good positions we had to score."