The unlikely halves combination of Sonny Bill Williams and Daniel Mortimer has shown the Sydney Roosters they can thrive rather than just survive without State of Origin representatives James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce.

Multi-talented Williams fitted into the unfamiliar role of five-eighth with aplomb in the Roosters’ 20-18 NRL win over his former club, the Bulldogs, on Friday.

Williams, who overcame a strained buttock injury to play, said he occasionally had to jump into the first receiver role in rugby union when the five-eighth got caught in a ruck.

“It (playing five-eighth) didn’t come naturally, but I didn’t feel so much pressure because I’ve had to do that for the All Blacks,” Williams said.

Mortimer, playing his first senior game in almost a year, was excellent at halfback.

“I thought he (Mortimer) was the real hero tonight for us,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.

With Pearce firmly entrenched as the Roosters’ top halfback, it could conceivably be Mortimer’s only start for the year unless the NSW star gets injured, as the Roosters’ other bye falls in the week of the third Origin game.

“This was the only game that I was going to get my crack,” said Mortimer, whose father and two uncles played for the Bulldogs.

“I definitely had this in my mind for quite a while and I think the coaches could tell I was buzzing this week.

“I was a bit nervous that I’d come in at halfback and people were saying we would get smashed all over the park.

“But I could tell in the first 15 minutes that the boys were on for the night.”

Mortimer said he had pretty much resigned himself to leaving the club and all he needed was a release from Robinson.

However, new coach Robinson made it clear to Mortimer even before the season started he was a required player, despite regarding him as a back-up.

“We were training and I said ‘look Morts, you can’t go. I want people like you in the club,'” Robinson said.

Despite the lack of opportunity, Mortimer, who was part of Parramatta’s 2009 grand final team, recently signed a new two-year deal with the Roosters.

“I can really just see the next few years, the boys are building, the club is building,” Mortimer said.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime team. I think if I can jump on the back of that and get myself a premiership ring, that would be nice.”