[ Source : NRL.com ]

The Roosters have breathed new life into their season with a 36-18 win over the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.

With a refreshed James Tedesco running rampant and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves laying a platform up front, the Roosters chalked up their eighth win of the season to close within two points of the top eight.

The Roosters got the scoring started in the fifth minute through a Joseph-Aukuso penalty goal before Tedesco laid on a try for Egan Butcher and the visitors had an 8-0 lead.

Three minutes later Butcher turned provider when he powered into a hole and sent a pass back inside for Tedesco to streak away and score his eighth try of the season.

Come the 23rd minute and the Roosters had a third try when Aukuso-Suaalii soared high to pull down a Sandon Smith bomb and the Tricolours had an 18-0 lead.

Powerhouse prop Lindsay Collins crossed in the 29th minute after brilliant lead-up work by Joey Manu and two minutes later Tedesco found open space and put Nat Butcher away for the Roosters’ fifth of the day.

If not for some desperation defence by AJ Brimson in the 33rd minute Collins would have had a double but it was only a temporary reprieve as the Roosters extended their lead to 36-0 early in the second term when Fletcher Baker crossed for his first try of the season.

Baker’s try came courtesy of more Manu magic after the centre climbed high to bring down a Luke Keary bomb before flicking the ball out the back to Baker who plunged over.

Roosters winger Daniel Tupou looked to have broken Anthony Minichiello’s club record of 139 tries when he crossed in the 57th minute but the try was ruled out by the bunker for obstruction in the lead-up.

On the back of a string of six-again calls deep in the Roosters’ red zone it was Brian Kelly who finally broke the drought for the Titans when he burrowed over from dummy half in the 66th minute to make it 36-6.

The Titans added more respectability to the score with nine minutes to play when Sam Verrills got out of dummy half and put Chris Randall in for a try to make it 36-12 with Jayden Campbell’s conversion.

The home side had the final say when Erin Clark showed plenty of strength to get the ball down despite the attention of three defenders but it was the Roosters coming away with a morale-boosting win that keeps them well and truly in the finals hunt.