Who needs DCE? Savala shines as Roosters stun Sharks

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Who needs DCE? Savala shines as Roosters stun Sharks

Hugo Savala has led a depleted Sydney Roosters side to a 42-16 win over Cronulla that will ignite questions over the NRL glamour club’s pursuit of veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans.

Savala stole the show at Industree Group Stadium in Gosford, the 23-year-old scoring a try, contributing three try assists and outgunning Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes on his home patch.

Leading a Roosters side missing five State of Origin players and three NRL regulars through injury, No.7 Savala delivered the most mature display of his nine-game first-grade career on Saturday.

Savala’s long-term future at the Roosters has been subject to scrutiny this season, with his agent declaring he would explore loan options if Trent Robinson does what many expect him to do and lands the signature of Manly veteran Cherry-Evans.

But on the evidence so far this season – and with Sam Walker still sidelined for a further month with an anterior cruciate ligament injury – Savala and Sandon Smith look to be bona fide NRL playmakers.

The Roosters led 14-0 in as many minutes, with left winger Daniel Tupou catching and grounding two pin-point Savala kicks to the air.

Both tries were converted by Smith, who added a penalty and finished the night with seven goals from eight attempts.

Cronulla finally had some decent attack 15 minutes in, and on their first real foray forward the Sharks crashed over through Cameron McInnes.

But the Roosters didn’t go into their shell and instead combined for one of the plays of the season.

Beginning in their own half, Savala started and finished it.

He and Mark Nawaqanitawase combined to put Dom Young away down the right edge.

The English winger burned KL Iro, then flicked a one-handed offload inside to James Tedesco, who tipped on to a supporting Savala to score.

More woe was to come for the Sharks, with winger Ronaldo Mulitalo sin-binned for a shoulder-charge on Nawaqanitawase as the winger set the wheels in motion for Savala’s try.

The Sharks weathered the storm to trail 20-6 at halftime, but another Savala kick moved the Chooks out of reach.

This time it was to the right wing, and while Young missed the ball, it fell kindly for former Wallabies winger Nawaqanitawase, who crashed over for his eighth try in nine NRL games.

Debutant Roosters prop Xavier Va’a crashed in on just his second touch in the NRL, before Cronulla launched a late and short-lived fightback.

Iro and Mulitalo crossed in the final 20 minutes, before Tedesco and Young wrapped up a deserved Roosters victory with late tries.

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