The Roosters face a nervous wait on a potential charge for veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves after he was put on report for a dangerous hit in his side's win over the Titans on Sunday.
Second-rower Angus Crichton scored his second career hat-trick as the Roosters went to 36 points on the ladder with their win at Robina and ousted Penrith from second based on a superior for-and-against.
The Tricolours can wrap up a top two finish if they beat Canberra and South Sydney in their remaining matches.
The Roosters lost Waerea-Hargreaves to the sin-bin in the 12th minute when the firebrand was put on report for an incident in the lead-up to a try to Titans winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira.
Waerea-Hargreaves, in his first game back from a four-match suspension, was pinged on review by The Bunker for forceful contact to the head of Titans hooker Sam Verrills.
"I don't think I can talk too much on that. It was disappointing for him to go to the bin but I might keep it at that," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Due to his prior offences, a grade two charge by the match review committee would lead to a three-match ban for Waerea-Hargreaves.
If the Roosters don't make the top four and were to lose their opening final, unlikely though that is, that would be the end of Waerea-Hargreaves' NRL career. The three-time premiership winner will join England's Hull Kingston Rovers next season.
The Roosters lost centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to a shoulder injury in the first half but Robinson said it was "a really bad stinger" and hoped it would improve by Monday.
In Sunday's other NRL match, the Cronulla Sharks used a run of four consecutive second-half tries to record their ninth consecutive win over the St George Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong.
Original story : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-25/nrl-live-updates-round-25-titans-roosters-dragons-sharks-blog/104266200
Story by : Chris De Silva
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