The Morris twins and James Tedesco have led a much younger Roosters outfit to a 20-point win tonight, the home side 32-12 victors over the Warriors at the SCG.
With two debutants on the teamsheet for the Tricolours - one of them playing halfback - it was thought they might struggle - and to start, that was certainly how it was playing out. Seven minutes in the Warriors cracked the scoreboard first, Adam Pompey pouncing on a deflection from Eliesa Katoa.
The 6-0 lead nearly went to 12-0 shortly after when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck put Kodi Nikorima into space for the visitors, but a Brett Morris tackle from nowhere stopped that effort. Instead, the margin was narrowed to 6-4 after 18 minutes when the Roosters' fullback James Tedesco palmed off Wayde Egan and rampaged to the goalline out wide.
Urged into action, the Warriors hit back within minutes, Tohu Harris pouncing on a Nikorima grubber and 12-4 was their lead, much to the chagrin of the Moore Park crowd.
Come the 27th minute, the game turned on its head. Nat Butcher crashed over after a solid lateral run from rookie half Sam Walker, then a couple of minutes later Brett Morris was on the end of a backline move to continue his vintage tryscoring form and allow the home team to take the lead. Taukeiaho's conversion ensured the Roosters led 16-12 - a lead they'd take to halftime. It could've been more shortly after the Morris four-pointer after Crichton was denied for obstruction earlier in the play after going over himself.
Sadly for the New Zealand side, they weren't to grace the scoreboard again. After halftime the Roosters extended the lead to 20-12 when Brett Morris got his second just minutes after appearing to pick up a calf injury, while Drew Hutchison scored on the hour mark after a Warriors passing movement in their own half went awry.
Not content with letting his brother star, Josh Morris capped the victory for the home team in the final ten minutes, scoring a try of his own and extending the margin to 20 points and lifting his side to second on the NRL table with one match left this round.
The Roosters are at home to Cronulla, back here at the SCG next Saturday (a match originally scheduled for Central Coast Stadium). Gosford will welcome back the Warriors on Friday, where the nomadic side will host the last-placed Sea Eagles.