Five shown red, two sent off as ill-discipline wreaks havoc in Roosters’ stunning upset against Brisbane

The Roosters emerged victorious in a fiercely contested showdown against the Broncos on Friday, yet both coaches will now anxiously await news on a few crucial players.

The intense match highlighted severe disciplinary issues, with five players put on notice and two sent off entirely.

Another pair narrowly avoided the sin bin, but it was evident that the Roosters were determined to fight to the last whistle.

The first casualty for the Roosters was Billy Smith, who transformed from the player who scored the opening try to one who received a penalty for a high tackle on Reece Walsh.

What initially seemed like a simple penalty escalated to a sin binning after further review confirmed Smith’s indiscretion.

In his attempt to tackle Walsh, Smith made contact with the head, striking him high as he fell to the ground.

Roosters captain James Tedesco made a passionate appeal to referee Peter Gough to spare Smith from the sin bin, but his entreaties fell on deaf ears.

“That’s simply unacceptable,” Gough remarked to Tedesco regarding Smith’s dangerous tackle.

“Whether it was the first or second contact, he’s still heading to the sin bin.”

With Smith sidelined, the Broncos capitalised and crossed for two quick tries, before their own Jack Gosiewski found himself sent off by Gough.

Gosiewski was penalised for a high tackle on Victor Radley, yet initially avoided punishment due to fast-moving play.

The decision to send him to the sin bin came after the Roosters had completed their possession, meaning no penalty was available to the Broncos.

“An unusual situation,” remarked Peter Psaltis on Nine.

As the tension mounted, both Trent Robinson and Michael Maguire found themselves holding their breath over further fouls from their players, including Angus Crichton and Kotoni Staggs, who had their own run-ins in defence.

In the 30th minute, Crichton was penalised for colliding with Adam Reynolds in the throat as he dashed through the middle, leading Phil Gould to comment, “Had he kept running, Reynolds wouldn’t have caught him. Instead, he turned and went for Reynolds.”

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Just three minutes later, Staggs found himself under scrutiny after striking Sandon Smith with an errant elbow while vying for possession of the ball.

Spencer Leniu collided with Staggs during a tackle, but both athletes avoided a sin binning, with Staggs receiving only a report, thanks in part to Reynolds’ effective intervention.

“How can you let that happen but not that one?” was overheard from Adam Reynolds, who was citing Crichton’s tackle.

Gould remarked that Reynolds had essentially saved Staggs from being sin-binned while still making his case to the referee.

Before the half-time break, Gough firmly reminded Tedesco that he needed to “manage (his) players, or I will step in to manage them for you”.

The Roosters heard the warning loud and clear, but it didn’t shake Smith’s concentration, as he powered over for his second try of the match.

Crichton soon followed suit, extending the Roosters’ lead to six points, though Jesse Arthars managed to close the gap with a spectacular diving try.

The Roosters’ Connor Watson found himself in the spotlight as well, penalised for a high shot that ended Arthars’ match.

Nat Butcher wrapped up the contest for the Roosters with a determined run to the line, sealing the victory at 26-16, a result that Phil Gould at one point described as a “monumental upset”.