James Tedesco has shown why he is regarded as the best player in rugby league, scoring a hat-trick in the Sydney Roosters' 42-6 NRL rout of the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The reigning Dally M winner returned from a week off to dominate the hapless Bulldogs, adding an imperious 194 metres, five linebreaks and two try assists to his three-try effort in a flawless fullback performance.
The 27-year-old spent last week on the sidelines, after developing a high temperature on the morning of the Roosters' 59-0 romp of the Brisbane Broncos.
Victory over the Bulldogs improves the two-time defending champions to a 3-2 record for the season, but they are undefeated since the COVID-19 break, scoring 129 points and conceding just 18.
The match was postponed by 27 hours, when Bulldogs prop Aiden Tolman was forced into isolation, after his child's teacher tested positive for coronavirus.
Tolman later tested negative, but the swift decision to postpone the game stood - the first time in 23 years a regular-season game has been delayed.
The Roosters were dominant against a Bulldogs side riding the confidence of a first win of the 2020 season last weekend against the St George Dragons.
That confidence dissipated within 20 minutes at Bankwest Stadium, with the Roosters holding an 18-0 lead, thanks to a try double from second-row forward Angus Crichton.
Midway through the second spell, that lead was 30, before Kiwis international Kieran Foran - the one shining light in a horror 80 minutes for the Bankstown club - set up Will Hopoate for their only try.
But the Roosters weren't done, adding a further two tries to complete a 36-point win.
The result sets up a mouthwatering showdown next Saturday, when the unbeaten Parramatta Eels host the Roosters at Bankwest Stadium.
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