SYD 18 NEW 22: Newcastle defy the odds
Adversity didn’t prove too much for the Knights, who overcame the odds to beat the Roosters at BlueTongue Stadium in Gosford.
Coming off a 71-6 hiding to Brisbane six days ago, the signs were ominous when Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello opened the scoring in the third minute. Newcastle fought back, with winger equalizing in the sixteenth minute. Cory Paterson’s try before the break giving the Knights a 10-6 lead.
The Roosters, 4-1on favourites despite its last placing on the NRL ladder, appeared on course to justify their short odds, with tries to halves Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta. It would be Newcastle’s night however, with Brad Tighe and Nathan Hinton scoring to give the Knights a lead they would not surrender, despite the Roosters pouring on the pressure in the final ten minutes.
In a week that saw Clint Newton walk out on the club and join the Melbourne Storm, Knights coach Brian Smith highlighted the performance of captain Danny Buderus. “It was one hell of a performance in my view, and that was only on the field”.
The Roosters remain on three wins for 2007 and for coach Chris Anderson, this would be one of its most frustrating losses. “We played really well in the first twenty-five minutes of the second half, then under pressure we came up with some bad decisions in defence”
Roosters 18 (Tries: Minichiello 3, Anasta 48, Pearce 53. Goals: Fitzgibbon 3/4)Newcastle 22 (Tries: McManus 16, Paterson 37, Tighe 62, Hinton 69. Goals: Paterson 3/4)
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