Nawaqanitawase’s Four-Try Blitz Stuns Melbourne Storm
What a night of rugby league drama it turned out to be. The Sydney Roosters, under real pressure heading into the penultimate round, managed to produce one of the most remarkable second-half performances in recent memory. And right at the centre of it all was Mark Nawaqanitawase, the former Wallaby who has quickly become one of the NRL’s most dangerous finishers.
The Roosters had every reason to be nervous when they walked into AAMI Park. They were coming off a disappointing 30–10 defeat to Parramatta the previous week, and their season was hanging by a thread. Finals footy was far from guaranteed, and with a stormy Melbourne side in front of them—even one missing a handful of stars—it was never going to be straightforward. By halftime, the outlook looked even worse. The Storm had absorbed everything the Roosters threw at them, then struck back clinically to lead 10–0. Ryan Papenhuyzen set up the first try, Jonah Pezet and Will Warbrick combined for the second, and the Roosters walked off the field scoreless, staring at another possible collapse.
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But then came the second half—and with it, Nawaqanitawase. Just six minutes after the restart, he muscled over for his 17th try of the season, and suddenly belief returned to the Roosters. Egan Butcher and Siua Wong combined soon after to put the visitors ahead, and from there the floodgates opened. Every time the ball found Nawaqanitawase’s hands, Melbourne’s defence looked panicked. He crossed again on the right edge, then finished a sweeping backline move to seal his hat-trick, before dazzling the crowd with footwork for his fourth try in the 72nd minute. That incredible burst lifted him to the top of the NRL try-scoring charts with 20 from 21 games.
By the time Robert Toia and James Tedesco added late tries, the scoreboard read 40–10. The Roosters had scored 40 unanswered points in one half—the worst defensive collapse in Storm history. For Craig Bellamy, coaching his 600th game, the occasion turned sour in the most brutal way. He admitted it was “embarrassing” and looked visibly shattered as his players trudged off.
For the Roosters though, it was a night of redemption. They now sit eighth on the ladder with 30 competition points, four clear of their nearest rivals, and their fate is firmly in their own hands. Beat South Sydney next week, and they’re in the finals. Lose, and they may still scrape through, depending on how the Dolphins and Manly finish.
Trent Robinson was measured in his response, saying he was proud but refusing to let the side get carried away. Still, with Nawaqanitawase in this kind of form, and Tedesco showing sparks of his old brilliance, the Roosters suddenly look like a team nobody will want to face in September.
And if there was ever any doubt about Nawaqanitawase’s transition from rugby union, those doubts have been erased. Four tries in one half of football, in a must-win game—it was a statement, not just for the Roosters, but perhaps for the Kangaroos selectors ahead of their upcoming series against England.
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