- Michael Jennings was honored during his 300th game
- The NRL rejected the controversial footy star
- But he was in charge of the Roosters ahead of Thursday’s match
The Sydney Roosters delivered a clear counterblast to the NRL on Thursday when Michael Jennings led his team out for his 300th game.
The NRL chose not to honor Jennings’ performance for the match against Newcastle due to his ‘past conduct’.
Jennings recently returned to the code following a three-year ban from steroid use after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2020 while on Parramatta’s books.
While suspended, Jennings was ordered to pay nearly $500,000 in damages to his ex-wife Kirra Wilden following claims of sexual and verbal abuse in a civil suit.
Jennings denies the claims.
Michael Jennings was honored by the Roosters on Thursday evening
The Roosters said they would celebrate the milestone behind closed doors, but Jennings led the team in the toe with his two children before they defeated the Knights 22-20.
Attention soon shifted to Kalyn Ponga as the star fullback hurt himself while trying in vain to prevent Daniel Tupou from scoring the first of his two tries.
“I was thinking, ‘Please keep going,’” Knights coach Adam O’Brien said of Ponga.
Ponga was in pain and struggling to run, but his suspected hip injury injected a surge of momentum into the match midway through the first half.
Roosters hooker Brandon Smith and stand-in fullback Joey Manu combined to help the visitors score two more first-half tries, turning an 8-4 deficit into a 16-14 lead at half-time.
The talismanic Ponga was too sore to inject himself into the Knights’ attack until after half-time, when he returned energetic and dangerous as usual.
Medical personnel tended to Ponga after the game, with Dane Gagai taking over duties midway through the game and Jayden Brailey replacing Ponga during the Knights’ press conference.
‘I can see from his face now that he is pale. He’s in a lot of pain,” O’Brien said.
“I’ve never had one (a hip injury), but apparently they’re unbearable.”
After Adam Elliott broke through in the final five minutes, Ponga charged down the right after a line break that looked like he could have taken the lead.
The controversial footy star celebrated his 300th NRL match against Newcastle
But it was too late for the home side as Manu came up with a try-saving and game-winning ankle tap.
The NRL announced on Monday that Jennings’ past behavior would prevent him from being honored in the usual way in his milestone match.
Jennings served a three-year drug ban between 2020 and 2023 and was found in a civil case to have sexually and verbally abused his ex-wife. He denied the claims.
Jennings, the subject of scrutiny all week, played only a minor role for the visitors after leading the team out and was dominated by opposing center Bradman Best in the first half.
It was after a Best kick return that Jackson Hastings opened the scoring for the Knights in the opening five minutes, before the center stormed through himself just before half-time.
Jennings had a chance to put the Roosters ahead midway through the first half when he spilled the ball from close range and was largely invisible in the second stanza.
Hooker Brandon Smith had one of his best games as a Rooster, firing through for the visitors’ third try as a sore Ponga was slow to get back on his feet.
“If you create some ruck speed there, Brandon will start to create some chances,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Manu, who replaced the concussion James Tedesco as No. 1, was equally valuable.
He looped the cut-out pass to Tupou that gave the Roosters their first try and collected a short ball from Smith to set up Victor Radley with a try.
“(Manu) will always touch the ball at the beginning of the set, at the end of the set and whenever necessary,” Robinson said.
Sitili Tupouniua’s head injury assessment came back as category one in the second half, ruling the Roosters forward out of next Thursday’s match with Melbourne.