The Sydney Roosters scored seven tries and held on for dear life to record a thrilling 42-28 win over an emotional Wests Tigers, who had their seven-match NRL winning streak ended on Sunday night.
It was confirmed just over an hour before kick-off that Sonia Farah, the mother of Tigers captain and NSW State of Origin star Robbie Farah, had died, losing her battle with pancreatic cancer.
The players stood on the field for a minute's silence and Tigers stand-in skipper in Farah's absence, Benji Marshall, appeared to be in tears as a heavy mood set over a packed-out Leichhardt Oval.
Marshall set up the opening try for winger Matt Utai to score, but from there the Roosters dominated, scoring four first-half tries to put them ahead 36-10 with just under 20 minutes remaining.
However they were forced to hold on in the face of an exciting last-ditch flurry from the Tigers, with the home side posting four tries of their own in the final quarter of the game.
The Tigers trailed by eight with six minutes left and should have got a penalty in front for a high tackle on Marshall - but instead the Roosters survived and prop Martin Kennedy ended any hope of a miracle comeback.
The win lifts the Roosters within two wins of the top eight, keeping their finals hopes alive.
