A second half try from Dubbo’s Connor Watson was not enough to get the Sydney Roosters over the line against a rampaging North Queensland Cowboys at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The up-and-coming utility came off the bench for the Tricolours and quickly made an impact, running in support of Boyd Cordnor and crashing over for a try in the 46th minute to put the Roosters in front for the first time.
But the 12-8 lead was not enough, and the Cowboys fought back to claim their grand final spot against the Melbourne Storm.
In the end, the Roosters only had themselves to blame. Their 65 per cent completion rate on Saturday was symptomatic of the fact they’re ranked 15th in the NRL for that category, while they twice put kick-offs out on the full against the Cowboys. Twice they fumbled the ball and failed to get to the end of their set immediately after tries.
Ultimately, it meant that after finishing in the top two for four of the past five years, the Roosters still only have one premiership to show for it.
“It's obviously disappointing at the moment,” Jake Friend said. “We couldn't build the pressure there when we got in front. An error into a bad defensive set.
“Now it's hard to take much out of the season, but there is plenty of good stuff there we can use and build on. But at this point it's pretty heartbreaking.”
It was Watson’s last game for the Tricolours, with the 21-year-old headed to Newcastle in 2018.