LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Roosters star Dom Young strongly disagrees with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary's pre-game comments that his side had already lost before facing the Roosters.
Despite the Roosters being undermanned and coming off a heavy loss the week before, they managed to pull off a stunning 38-32 victory.
Young credits his team for putting pressure on the Roosters and forcing errors, saying, "I thought the game plan was perfect and we were really putting them under pressure and forcing errors out of them, which wasn't characteristic."
While Cleary suggested that the Panthers had already lost the game before even stepping on the field, Young believes that his team deserves credit for their performance, despite missing tackles and making errors during the match.
He points out that the Roosters were forced into making mistakes due to the Panthers' strategic play, stating, "I felt like we forced them into that.
It's easy for me to say that, but I thought the game plan was perfect and we were really putting them under pressure and forcing errors out of them, which wasn't characteristic."
The 38-32 victory by the Roosters was considered one of the greatest upsets in NRL history, given their previous poor performance and the number of key players they were missing.
Nevertheless, James Tedesco stepped up as skipper and contributed with three key try assists to secure the win.
Despite their victory, Young believes that the Panthers could have performed better and acknowledges that there are areas they need to improve on.
In conclusion, Young's disagreement with Cleary's comments highlights the Roosters' unexpected victory and the Panthers' missed opportunities during the game.
He attributes the Roosters' success to their ability to capitalize on the mistakes forced by the Panthers and believes that his team's game plan was effective in rattling the four-time premiers.
Moving forward, both teams will likely use this match as a learning experience to continue to improve and strive for success in future games.