The Sydney Roosters have demolished a helpless South Sydney Rabbitohs side 36-10 in the Ron Coote Cup at ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon, in meeting 200 between the foundation clubs.

The Roosters entered their New Beginning with a New Attitude that saw them dominate from the outset in a six tries to two rout, after leading just 12-6 through the first 40 minutes of play.

23,149 fans watched on as Brian Smith’s troops opened their 2010 season account with a commanding win that erased memories of the corresponding fixture last year.

With five club debutant s – one of those on NRL debut – the visitors embarrassed a loud Rabbitohs side that had promised big things for the New Year by scoring 24 unanswered second half points.

Aided strongly by new recruit Todd Carney with a 12 point haul of his own, it was familiar faces Nate Myles, Mitchell Pearce and Shaun Kenny-Dowall that were the chief destroyers for the visitors.

Pearce posted the first points of the game after he wrestled free from the close attention of a defender to slam the ball down over the line in the 12th minute.

The Roosters halfback benefitted from second phase play close to the line after Frank-Paul Nuuausala kept the ball alive before Nick Kouparitsas promoted the football for the playmaker to cross. Todd Carney continued his impressive trial form with the boot, converting the try for a 6-nil lead.

The Roosters went over again in the 20th minute through Pearce but it was called back after Kouparitsas collected an offload from Daniel Conn and put Carney into a gap before his pass went forward.

Not long after Roosters captain Braith Anasta endured a head clash while making a tackle, which resulted in him suffering a concussion.

Anasta shook off the knock and his side doubled the advantage 12 minutes from the half time break when Kenny-Dowall intercepted a Rabbitohs pass to race 93 metres to score untouched.

The Roosters leading try scorer for the past two seasons snuck up into the attacking line and snaffled Chris Sandow’s pass, some sweet revenge for that hit he copped last year by the halfback. Carney kicked true again to keep his 100 per cent record intact.

Tom Symonds was taken from the field before the interval after hyper extending his knee when he was felled awkwardly in a tackle, leaving the Tricolours with just 16 available players for the remaining 46 minutes of the match.

It was the hosts who scored next courtesy of Nathan Merritt in the 38th minute after Sandow kicked deftly to the wingers’ corner.

The Rabbitohs halfback made amends for his earlier passing error with his right boot to setup a much needed four pointer before the break. Issac Luke reduced the margin to a converted try after knocking over the sideline conversion.

Carney punished the Rabbitohs ill discipline with the boot early in the second period with the Roosters taking a 14-6 advantage after the markers were caught offside at the play-the-ball.

He was in the thick of the action again just two minutes later when he created a simple four pointer for Sam Perrett via some individual brilliance.

Carney chipped and chased his own kick, showing more urgency to beat his opposite number Ryhs Wesser to the bouncing ball and batting it back to the winger after leaping over the dead ball line to keep play alive.

Myles followed that with an equally impressive play, inadvertently saving a try by causing Merritt to make a mess of a certain score under the posts.

The Souths winger broke the line and seemed destined to score despite the close attention of the pursuing Roosters lock before amazingly losing his grip on the ball and knocking on.

If that wasn’t deflating enough the headline act, Carney, made a 50 meter break, which eventually ended in a try to Aidan Guerra on first grade debut in the 55th minute.

Carney opted not to pass to his support players and took the tackle allowing Anthony Minchiello to scoot into to dummy half and find the back rower on the charge.

Pearce crossed for his double eight minutes later thanks to the work of Mitchell Aubusson and then Perrett to well and truly bury the Bunnies.

Aubusson skirted on the fringe of the ruck and got on the outside shoulder of his marker allowing him to offload out the back to the supporting winger before he found the flying halfback. Carney added the extras for a 32-6 score line.

Pearce helped extend that lead moments later with a 30 metre cutout ball to Kenny-Dowall as the centre showed class to bag his double.

The centre brushed by defenders with ease after collecting a pinpoint pass to add the Roosters final touches to a one-sided scoreboard.

Merritt got himself a double and a consolation try for his convincingly beaten side after cracking the visitors defence after being kept out for 40 minutes.

Barring a blowout at the Sydney Football Stadium tomorrow night in the final round 1 match between the Wests Tigers and Manly-Warring Sea Eagles, the Tricolours will complete a remarkable turnaround to be the competition front runners after ending 2009 at the other end of the ladder.

The 26 point buffer also contributes a handsome sum of $32,500 to the Steggles Charity Nest, while also making big strides to regain the Ron Coote Cup.

In injury news the only serious concern is for Symonds, who will have scans tomorrow on his hyper extended knee to learn the full extent of the damage, however, the Roosters medical staffs’ initial assessment is that he will sit out for a couple of weeks.