I've got to say after reading all that hype about the Roosters and their performance against the Warriors, I really wasn't that impressed.
Don't get me wrong, it was a really good performance but on a weekend of great performances I didn't think they necessarily stood out. I actually thought the Warriors were the better side for the opening 20 minutes but just let themselves down with a bevy of unforced errors at crucial times. They were bursting through the line and if they had have scored it would have been a different game. Instead, the Roosters kept their line intact and the Warriors slumped their shoulders. It wasn't long before 6 became 12 and then 18 off a kick. It really should have stayed at 18-0 given Jennings pass to Maloney was at least 4 metres forward but at that point the game was basically over and the Roosters played a lot like we did against the Tigers where they started throwing silly offloads and passes trying to entertain the fans.
For me, it was just a typically good win for the Roosters. They're a good all-round team, no real faults but they've got a couple of players there that can be worked over if you really want the win. I think they'll play the exact same role as last year where they're one of the top teams coming into the finals but very beatable once they're there.
NZ were pretty poor. If they were ever a chance, SJ was going to have to reproduce his form against the Titans & Raiders but he's proven himself to be nothing more than a flat-track bully so far this season. They really missed Vatuvei and Hurrell, particularly coming out of trouble and with both guys back next week it should be a huge boost for their finals chances when they take on Manly at Mt Smart. It wasn't the best performance from them but to their credit, they weren't outright embarrassed like they would have been in the past. 24-0 is hardly a respectable scoreline but it's better than 46-12 at home, which is the game that basically cost them 8th place.