Report: Jersey Flegg Round 17 vs Roosters

In a high-paced contest filled with flair and momentum swings, the Tigers struck first through winger Jack Nicholas, who finished a slick left-edge movement in just the fifth minute. After soaking up early pressure, the Tigers countered swiftly, with Brenden Naicori's offload allowing Nicholas to pounce in the corner.

The Roosters hit back midway through the first half, with Ethan Roberts powering through a static defensive line to score in the 16th minute. Just four minutes later, the visitors went back-to-back through Jaxson Allen, who backed up some crisp ball movement and support play through the middle to give the Roosters a 12-4 lead.

The Tigers clawed their way back into the contest as Iverson Matai sliced through from a scrum play to set up Nicholas for his second try. With the hosts regaining the ascendancy, their left side fired again in the 33rd minute, as Naicori touched down off a clever grubber from Matai to give the Tigers a 16-12 lead at the break.

The momentum carried over into the second half, with Wests producing their try of the day in the 43rd minute. A well-worked passage saw the ball kicked back inside by Tino Tavana, and Logan Brookes capitalised to score and extend the lead to 22-12.

But from there, the Roosters began to turn the screws. Relentless pressure and repeat sets saw them crash over in the 49th minute through a barging run from Josiah Fesolai close to the line, before Roberts muscled his way over again to give the Roosters a 24-22 lead with 23 minutes to play.

With both teams trading blows in a tense final quarter, it was the Roosters who landed the final punch. Sustained pressure on the Tigers’ line led to Lachlan Dooner finishing off a left-edge shift in the 64th minute, handing the visitors a 28-22 lead that they managed to defend through the dying stages.

Roosters 28 (Roberts 2, Allen, Fesolai, Dooner tries; Durkin 4/5 goals) defeated Wests Tigers 22 (Nicholas 2, Naicori, Brookes tries; Tavana 3/4 goals) at Lidcombe Oval.