Fletcher Sharpe Shines in Fresh Role for Knights as Roosters Receive Critical ‘Wake-Up’ Call

The Sydney Roosters will be hoping that their trial form isn’t a precursor to their performance in the upcoming regular season after suffering a heavy defeat to the Knights.

Newcastle took the opportunity in the trial to introduce a revamped spine, featuring Fletcher Sharpe at five-eighth, while Jack Cogger stepped in for Tyson Gamble at halfback after the latter succumbed to a back injury just before the match.

Sharpe made an immediate impact, scoring the Knights’ second try early in the game, and Jacob Saifiti followed suit with his second try in the 13th minute, extending the lead to 18-0.

The Roosters found themselves under pressure right from the start, with Spencer Leniu being sin-binned and taken off for a head injury assessment in quick succession.

Daniel Tupou found the scoreboard for the Tricolours in the 17th minute, but the Knights kept the momentum going with Sharpe netting his second try, followed by Jayden Brailey and Kalyn Ponga also crossing, pushing the score to 36-4 by half-time.

Newcastle maintained their scoring pace into the second half, with both Thomas Cant and Connor Votano adding to their tally.

The Roosters did manage to salvage a moment of pride when Sandon Smith intercepted the ball and sprinted 85 metres to score.

Despite this late boost, the Roosters ended up on the wrong side of a 40-18 final score.

Kevin Walters, speaking on Fox League, remarked, “The Roosters have got some work ahead of them… it’s not a terrible time of year to receive a wake-up call.”

In other news for the Roosters, there was a concerning injury as rugby convert Mark Nawaqanitawase left the field in the second half, apparently struggling with a calf issue.

As for Newcastle, the expectation is that this new halves partnership can propel them into a successful season, despite many analysts predicting they’ll struggle to break into the top eight.

After the match, Knights star Kalyn Ponga acknowledged that while Sharpe has a strong foundation, he still has room for improvement.

“He’s got plenty of work ahead, but his attitude is spot on,” he told Fox League.

“He performed well, looked sharp, and has had an excellent pre-season – here’s hoping that leads to a fantastic year for him.”