NRL 2025 LIVE updates: St George Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters
Have your say: who wins tonight?
5.05pm
Roosters team list: Collins moves to the bench
Trent Robinson has moved Spencer Leniu to starting prop, with Lindsay Collins to now come off the bench.
4.55pm
Dragons team list: Flanagan sticks with 1-17
No changes for Shane Flanagan's side to the one named on Tuesday. Here's how they line up today.
1. Clint Gutherson, 2. Tyrell Sloan, 3. Moses Suli, 4. Valentine Holmes, 5. Sione Finau, 6. Lyhkan King-Togia, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Damien Cook, 10. David Klemmer, 11. Luciano Leilua, 12. Jaydn Su'A, 13. Jack De Belin, 14. Jacob Liddle, 15. Hamish Stewart, 16. Blake Lawrie, 17. Michael Molo
4.51pm
Have your say: who wins tonight?
4.44pm
Welcome
Evening rugby league fans, and welcome to our live coverage of the Dragons and the Roosters tonight.
This is a historic rivalry, and the games are always close, so you can expect a fiery clash in Kogarah.
The Roosters have a bunch of players returning from Origin camp tonight – Angus Crichton, Connor Watson, Lindsay Collins, Robert Toia and Spencer Leniu – but perhaps the biggest in for the Tricolours is Sam Walker, who is finally returning from his ACL injury last year (plus a little setback with a thumb injury).
The Dragons get Valentine Holmes back, but they're going to need to find something special to get one over the Roosters.
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The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
'That loss does not define us': Dolphins target bounce
The Dolphins take on Brisbane fresh from the biggest defeat in their history but coach Kristian Woolf took fast action to ensure it will not upset their finals push. Dolphins prop Josh Kerr said Woolf held a review the morning after Saturday night's 64-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters. He said the players had "flushed" the performance out of their system and would get back to the top-shelf football that took them into eighth position on the NRL ladder to start with. South Sydney were whipped 60-14 by Brisbane in round 22 and coach Wayne Bennett, formerly the Dolphins' mentor, did not undertake a review of the match. Bennett said "everyone around you can be doom and gloom but ... it won't help you play better". The Rabbitohs came out the following week and beat Gold Coast 20-18. Woolf took a slightly different approach but the message was reminiscent of Bennett's."We did something similar," Kerr told AAP. "The next day we had our recovery and review but we only watched three clips of things we never want to see again in our game. "Woolfy just said that loss to the Roosters does not define us. We can roll over and die or we can keep fighting. I know we will keep fighting."It is obviously one of those games you can flush. The Roosters were the better team."Everyone knows when you've had a bad game. We all didn't play our best." The 'Battle of Brisbane' on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium should bring the best out of the Dolphins, who have received a further blow to their depleted squad. Prop Francis Molo received a one-week suspension for a high tackle in the loss to the Roosters and is now the eighth player in the top 17 to be unavailable due to injury or suspension. Kerr said the Dolphins would regroup and tackle the Broncos with optimism."The boys are just looking forward to training during the week and getting back into it to correct a few things. I am confident the boys will bounce back up," Kerr said."It is a real test against the Broncos. They are missing key players and we are missing a majority of our squad. The Battle of Brisbane will be hectic. They are usually sold out. The boys will be up for it." The Dolphins had their only win in five attempts against the Broncos last year in a 40-6 victory and will aim to draw on the experience. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was in electric form that night in a two-try display. Brisbane sit sixth on 28 points, while the Dolphins are eighth with 26. With 30 points likely needed to make their maiden semi-finals campaign, the Dolphins will be aiming for at least two more wins. After Brisbane they play Manly (away) before home clashes with the Gold Coast and Canberra. The Dolphins take on Brisbane fresh from the biggest defeat in their history but coach Kristian Woolf took fast action to ensure it will not upset their finals push. Dolphins prop Josh Kerr said Woolf held a review the morning after Saturday night's 64-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters. He said the players had "flushed" the performance out of their system and would get back to the top-shelf football that took them into eighth position on the NRL ladder to start with. South Sydney were whipped 60-14 by Brisbane in round 22 and coach Wayne Bennett, formerly the Dolphins' mentor, did not undertake a review of the match. Bennett said "everyone around you can be doom and gloom but ... it won't help you play better". The Rabbitohs came out the following week and beat Gold Coast 20-18. Woolf took a slightly different approach but the message was reminiscent of Bennett's."We did something similar," Kerr told AAP. "The next day we had our recovery and review but we only watched three clips of things we never want to see again in our game. "Woolfy just said that loss to the Roosters does not define us. We can roll over and die or we can keep fighting. I know we will keep fighting."It is obviously one of those games you can flush. The Roosters were the better team."Everyone knows when you've had a bad game. We all didn't play our best." The 'Battle of Brisbane' on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium should bring the best out of the Dolphins, who have received a further blow to their depleted squad. Prop Francis Molo received a one-week suspension for a high tackle in the loss to the Roosters and is now the eighth player in the top 17 to be unavailable due to injury or suspension. Kerr said the Dolphins would regroup and tackle the Broncos with optimism."The boys are just looking forward to training during the week and getting back into it to correct a few things. I am confident the boys will bounce back up," Kerr said."It is a real test against the Broncos. They are missing key players and we are missing a majority of our squad. The Battle of Brisbane will be hectic. They are usually sold out. The boys will be up for it." The Dolphins had their only win in five attempts against the Broncos last year in a 40-6 victory and will aim to draw on the experience. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was in electric form that night in a two-try display. Brisbane sit sixth on 28 points, while the Dolphins are eighth with 26. With 30 points likely needed to make their maiden semi-finals campaign, the Dolphins will be aiming for at least two more wins. After Brisbane they play Manly (away) before home clashes with the Gold Coast and Canberra. The Dolphins take on Brisbane fresh from the biggest defeat in their history but coach Kristian Woolf took fast action to ensure it will not upset their finals push. Dolphins prop Josh Kerr said Woolf held a review the morning after Saturday night's 64-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters. He said the players had "flushed" the performance out of their system and would get back to the top-shelf football that took them into eighth position on the NRL ladder to start with. South Sydney were whipped 60-14 by Brisbane in round 22 and coach Wayne Bennett, formerly the Dolphins' mentor, did not undertake a review of the match. Bennett said "everyone around you can be doom and gloom but ... it won't help you play better". The Rabbitohs came out the following week and beat Gold Coast 20-18. Woolf took a slightly different approach but the message was reminiscent of Bennett's."We did something similar," Kerr told AAP. "The next day we had our recovery and review but we only watched three clips of things we never want to see again in our game. "Woolfy just said that loss to the Roosters does not define us. We can roll over and die or we can keep fighting. I know we will keep fighting."It is obviously one of those games you can flush. The Roosters were the better team."Everyone knows when you've had a bad game. We all didn't play our best." The 'Battle of Brisbane' on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium should bring the best out of the Dolphins, who have received a further blow to their depleted squad. Prop Francis Molo received a one-week suspension for a high tackle in the loss to the Roosters and is now the eighth player in the top 17 to be unavailable due to injury or suspension. Kerr said the Dolphins would regroup and tackle the Broncos with optimism."The boys are just looking forward to training during the week and getting back into it to correct a few things. I am confident the boys will bounce back up," Kerr said."It is a real test against the Broncos. They are missing key players and we are missing a majority of our squad. The Battle of Brisbane will be hectic. They are usually sold out. The boys will be up for it." The Dolphins had their only win in five attempts against the Broncos last year in a 40-6 victory and will aim to draw on the experience. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was in electric form that night in a two-try display. Brisbane sit sixth on 28 points, while the Dolphins are eighth with 26. With 30 points likely needed to make their maiden semi-finals campaign, the Dolphins will be aiming for at least two more wins. After Brisbane they play Manly (away) before home clashes with the Gold Coast and Canberra.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Any front-rower would do that': Roosters search for the fine line between swagger and over the top aggression
Roosters skipper James Tedesco has praised his front-rowers for how they responded after a stint in the sin bin on Saturday night following an explosive start to the game that reduced their side and the Dolphins to 11 men. And while he doesn't want to see them spend time off the field, Tedesco isn't going to tell Spencer Leniu and his fellow firebrands to tone things down because their aggression and intimidation is what strikes fear into opposition teams. Saturday's game against the Dolphins was dubbed a do-or-die clash for Trent Robinson's side as they fought to keep their finals hopes alive, and they delivered with a stunning 64-12 win at Suncorp Stadium. While their attack was faultless, the big boys up front saw red from the opening whistle, with Leniu racing in to defend halfback Sam Walker when he was shoved by Aublix Tawha. That set the tone and a minute later all hell broke loose when the powerhouse prop shaped up to Tawha after a try, with players from both teams coming together. Four players have been sent to the sin bin after this incident... ðŸ'° Watch #NRLDolphinsRoosters LIVE on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 9, 2025 Leniu, Tawha, Naufahu Whyte and Francis Molo were all sent to the sin bin, with a stack of fines dished out, including two to Leniu, who has to pay $3600. The stint in the sin bin cooled things down but it didn't slow down Leniu's momentum, as he scored a powerful try just before halftime, while Whyte continued his outstanding season with 178m – the most of any forward in that game. The Roosters have the attacking firepower to beat anyone, and the top teams better be scared of them if they continue to play with the swagger they showed for 80 minutes on Saturday night. 'We were sticking up for each other there, and Spencer was sticking up for his teammates and his halfback. I think any front-rower would do that,' Tedesco said. 'There's obviously a fine line, and Spencer got charged for it, so you can't really run in and let it boil over like that and have players off the field. 'That could cost any team when you have a man or two men off the field because it can really change the flow of the game. 'When they came back on, they went about their business and dominated. I love the fire that our middles play with, but we can't have players off the field because it can cost you. 'But I'm not going to tell them to stop being fiery because that's what makes them an intimidating pack and that's what makes them good players.' Representative front-rower Lindsay Collins spoke with Leniu after the melee to calm him down and was proud of how he responded after his time off the field. It's a fine balance for a team that has had guys like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Dylan Napa and Victor Radley regularly push the envelope, with tensions to again be high when they host the Bulldogs in what shapes as a fiery Friday night affair. 'You can go into the red, and then sometimes it can be hard to come out of it, especially us Roosters in the past when we were sort of known for that,' Collins said. 'The game can get away from you because you're still holding on to that red mentality. 'It's about calming the boys down and getting them back to that flow state where they're level-headed. 'I thought they did a really good job at that. We want them to bring that energy because it shows it means something to them, and they went in there (the sheds) and came out and continued on with the game. 'I felt like we did a better job at that. When you look at the past, we've probably had a couple of games where we've let that carry on throughout the game and it hasn't ended well for us. 'It's the maturity of this team coming out. We're playing for our season at the moment, so every moment of every game counts. I think a lot of the boys understood that.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
First casualty of Cherry-Evans plot falls as Roosters questioned
The first casualty of Daly Cherry-Evans' reported move to the Roosters has fallen with veteran playmaker Sandon Smith officially been given permission to leave. The club has been warned it is heading into murky waters with the former Queensland State of Origin captain struggling to perform for Manly since announcing his decision to leave the cub at the end of the 2025 season. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The worst-kept-secret of his move to the Roosters on a one-year-deal has looked worse and worse for the Bondi club as the season progresses with Sam Walker and Hugo Savala beginning to prove they have the potential to be an elite halves pairing. It was easy to see during the Roosters' 64-12 thumping of the Dolphins on Saturday that the Roosters do not even need the services of the Sea Eagles halfback. Giving Cherry-Evans the No. 6 jersey would likely relegate Savala to reserve grade — and it is now clear Smith has been informed he does not have a future at the club. That was confirmed on Monday night when leading NRL reporter Michael Chammas said the Raiders are looking the likely destination for Smith to head. 'Sandon Smith's been given formal permission by the Roosters to negotiate with rival clubs,' Chammas said on Channel 9's 100% Footy. 'He's been in conversations with the Canberra Raiders. The Raiders are looking at some depth. I don't know if it will play out that way, whether or not he wants to go somewhere and start. 'Option are limited.' It comes as the Roosters were warned the club may have made a big mistake in chasing DCE so early in the season. Former Roosters five-eighth Braith Anasta said on Fox League's NRL 360 on Monday night Cherry-Evans' for slump is concerning. 'Walker and Savala, they were great on the weekend,' Anasta said on NRL 360. 'DCE was poor. The DCE issue, I know we've spoken about it a lot, but it's getting bigger because his form is dropping by the game, and Savala was outstanding on the weekend. 'The Roosters have found form. It is a little bit concerning now. They've got him coming in for Savala, and Sandon (Smith) moving on, most likely. 'Every week that goes on, I start going, well, hang on. 'As the year's gone on, his form's dropped. Next year's another year, another year older.' NRL 360 co-host and Broncos icon Gorden Tallis also questioned the Roosters' call. 'Are they getting itchy feet, the Roosters? I'm going to keep on asking until it's confirmed,' he said. 'He's played a lot of footy, right, and father time catches up with everybody, even up heartbreak hill.' Leading rugby league journalist Phil Rothfield said Cherry-Evans move could have deeper ramifications across the Roosters' playing group. 'Walker's got the best short kicking game in the comp, Hugo Savala's got a long distance kick, they combine beautifully,' Rothfield added. 'The thing that worries me about DCE going to Easts, I know what a tight group they've got at the moment. 'I think it might upset the mechanism.' Walker on Monday night said Cherry-Evans would be welcomed to the club if the veteran does make the move at the end of this season. 'Yeah for sure,' he said on Channel 9 when asked about DCE's expected move. 'I've said it the whole time. He's a grand final winner. Captained our state. He's someone I've definitely looked up to as well. To welcome someone of his calibre to our club is exciting. I know us as a club would welcome it.'
