Roosters Coach Trent Robinson Blasts Penalty Count After Heavy NRL Loss to Warriors
A furious Trent Robinson has vented his frustration at the penalty count and his Sydney Roosters side after their 42-18 loss to the Warriors in NRL Round 1 at Go Media Stadium in Auckland. The Warriors dominated from the first to the final whistle on Friday night to start their NRL season in the best possible way.
Defensive Struggles and Penalty Controversy
Though showing class at times, the Roosters looked all at sea on other occasions as they struggled for continuity, particularly in defence. The home side chalked up four tries to one to lead 22-6 at the break. Robinson was stunned at the penalty count from referee Wyatt Raymond and officials. It was 11-2 in favour of the Warriors at one stage, before finishing 11-4.
"The story is 42 points (which) is unacceptable, no matter how you feel," Robinson said. "It's very simple that we have to make sure we fix that up. Things will go against you. The opposition applied a lot of pressure ... but 11-2 is quite incredible in our game."
He added, "Then we had video ref decisions and all of that. But as I go back to, depending on what team you want to be, is how much of a swing against you do you let in (and how) many points? We want to be a team ... that you can have decision go against you, and then you put your gloves up and say, 'that's cool, we might be a few points down but we can hold onto that no matter how far it swings'."
Second-Half Comeback and Positives
Robinson at least found some positives, including his side's second-half comeback. "I thought we opened them up a lot. We could have grabbed one or two more," he said. But he did not want to blame his star halves, recruit Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker, for the poor result.
"I didn't see the combination as the issue," he told journalists. "It will improve, that's for sure, but we're looking in the wrong spot for that game. It's footy, it's Round 1, disappointing obviously, first half and how it went. I really enjoyed the fightback. In the second half, momentum lifted. We just didn't execute well enough."
He concluded, "We had enough possession there. We had 15 to go after them, and credit to them, they held us out. And then it turned around. But the story is 42 points (which) is unacceptable for a game."
Match Highlights and Key Moments
In fine conditions in front of a boisterous crowd of 24,112, it was the home side who scored first as Tanah Boyd spied a gap, sold an easy dummy and zipped through after 12 minutes. The Roosters quickly replied as Billy Smith went through weak tackles to set up James Tedesco from 20 metres out, and with Sam Walker's conversion the score was locked at 6-6 after 18 minutes.
After the Tricolours had a Benaiah Ioelu try disallowed, Adam Pompey crossed out wide before quick hands reached Kurt Capewell on the burst to cross for the home side. Chanel Harris-Tavita then scored in the corner after a messy couple of passes and Boyd converted for a 22-6 halftime lead.
The Roosters started the second half with a Cherry-Evans try not given and the Warriors added their fifth four-pointer as Leka Halasima pulled down a Boyd kick near the posts. Billy Smith then ran in a try for the visitors after shifting through some sub-standard defence to give the Roosters hope.
Their momentum continued with Naufahu Whyte opening the defence wide to get Angus Crichton over. However, the visitors' run was stopped by a Boyd penalty goal and finally Harris Tavita scampered across for his second as any faint hopes of a Roosters comeback faded.
Warriors Coach Reflects on Victory
"Lots to be happy about, but lots to tidy up. I think the scoreline probably flattered us a little bit," said Warriors coach Andrew Webster. "But at the same time, happy to score a couple of tries at the end." The result marks a strong start for the Warriors in the NRL season, while the Roosters face early pressure to address their defensive issues and penalty concerns.
