Roosters finish fourth

The Sydney Roosters have sewn up fourth position on the NRL ladder and lost star forward Willie Mason for the remainder of the season after prevailing 10-0 against the St George Illawarra Dragons in atrocious conditions at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Roosters' grinding victory means they retain fourth position, setting up a battle against the fifth-placed Broncos at the Sydney Football Stadium next Friday night to kick off the 2008 NRL finals series.

But they will have to do it without second-rower Mason, who was forced from the field in the ninth minute with suspected ACL damage to his right knee, effectively stripping him of a chance to take part in the finals and the World Cup soon after.

The Dragons could drop as low as seventh on the ladder if the Raiders manage to defeat the Bulldogs by 17 points or more on Sunday.

Torrential rain and howling winds marred what was to be one of the matches of the season as both sides struggled to come to terms with the horrid conditions.

The score was 0-0 at the break before the defensively brilliant Roosters took the ascendancy in the second-stanza through tries to full-back Anthony Minichiello in the 46th minute and captain Braith Anasta on the hour.

Former skipper Craig Fitzgibbon and Queensland Origin forward Nate Myles set up the win with inspirational efforts up the middle to make up for the sudden loss of Mason.

Not long after Mason's early departure, Roosters prop Mark O'Meley was placed on report for a high tackle on opposite Jason Ryles, forcing the Les Catalans-bound prop off the field for a brief period in a dazed state.

Sydney went close to posting the first try in the 14th minute when Fitzgibbon crashed his way over the line, but referee Shayne Hayne ruled the former Test star held up much to displeasure of the home fans who were expecting video referee intervention.

The Dragons struggled for ball control in the opening 25 minutes after their lateral approach in attack struggled to pay off in the conditions, but their goal line defence remained intact, preventing any punishment on the scoreboard.

The roles were reversed for the remainder of the half with the Roosters repeatedly losing possession in their own half only to repel the Dragons' attacking advances, leaving a rare scoreless opening 40 minutes for the brave 14,127 fans in attendance to absorb.

Unfortunately for the Dragons, a severely concussed Ben Creagh was forced from the field midway through the first half after a sickening off-the-ball collision with Roosters centre Setaimata Sa.

On the back of two penalties just after half-time, the Roosters finally struck when Minichiello celebrated his long-awaited return from a back injury with a 46th minute try.

The former Test star chased through a well-weighted Anasta grubber to dive on the scraps, Fitzgibbon converting from a decent angle to give the Roosters a prized 6-0 lead.

The match-sealer came in the 60th minute when a dropped Dan Hunt ball in his own half was quickly flicked by winger Sam Perrett to Anasta who raced 30m to dive over in the left corner.

Fitzgibbon missed the sideline conversion to leave the Chooks in front 10-0 - a lead they would take to the death.

Sydney Roosters 10
Tries: Minichello, Anasta
Conversions: Fitzgibbon

St George Illawarra Dragons 0

Sportal's NRL Player of the Year:
3 - Craig Fitzgibbon (Roosters)
2 - Braith Anasta (Roosters)
1 - Nate Myles (Roosters)