It was supposed to be a celebration—yet it ended in a massacre.
The Roosters’ stunning 40-10 defeat of the Melbourne Storm was indeed history making, but for all the wrong reasons as the club marked Craig Bellamy’s 600th game with a loss the coach himself described as ‘embarrassing’.
Amongst several unwanted records, it was the club’s most points ever conceded at their AAMI Park fortress.
Even worse, all 40 of the Roosters’ points came in a seven try second half blitz, as the Storm gave up a 10-nil halftime lead in front of shocked home fans.
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The Round 26 result was an epic turnaround in the fortunes of both sides, with the Roosters returning to form after a disappointing loss to the Eels and the Storm crashing back to earth after defeating the Bulldogs.
Last night’s Storm loss all but assures the Canberra Raiders of the J.J. Giltinan Shield as 2025 minor premiers, while it would now take a minor miracle for the Dolphins or Sea Eagles to supplant the Roosters in the top eight.
The Roosters face their oldest foes, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, in the final round of the regular season, while Craig Bellamy’s men travel to Brisbane to meet the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.