Tom Smith’s Down Under Diary
Before a Steeden was kicked in the 2023 NRL season, the Sydney Roosters were widely tipped to be the team most likely to prevent a Penrith Panthers three-peat.
“They’re in for one heck of a season,” rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
“They’re going to be strong and to me, they have a lot of depth.”
Cooper Cronk — the halfback who piloted the Roosters to back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 — said: “I think they learnt a lot from last year and their style holds up over a long period of time.”
Cronk’s fellow Fox League pundit Steven Roach agreed: “They had a bit of a hiccup last year with injuries, but I think they’ll be better than they’ve ever been.”
More than halfway through the campaign, Trent Robinson’s men are struggling to live up to the hype.
Their season kicked off in the worst possible manner — ambushed by new franchise the Dolphins in their maiden outing (28-18) — before they steadied the ship with home victories over the Warriors (20-12), Rabbitohs (20-18) and Eels (28-20).
On the road again, they failed stiff tests against the Storm (28-8) and Sharks (22-12). Then they almost let a commanding lead slip against the lowly Dragons on Anzac Day, narrowly prevailing 27-26.
A 14-nil defeat of the Warriors in Auckland showed plenty of steel, but a 20-6 loss to North Queensland at Magic Round began another slide, stumbling 48-4 to Penrith and 24-22 to St George Illawarra.
Captain James Tedesco labelled that Panthers thrashing “embarrassing”. Firebrand lock Victor Radley described it as “disgusting”.
Following a pre-Origin bye in Round 14, the Roosters scraped past Canterbury 25-24 — another unconvincing effort that inspires little confidence they’re about to conjure a run through the second half of the season.
Their biggest problem is posting points.
The Roosters have scored just 204 from their opening 12 games, an average of 17 per game — the worst in the comp. They haven’t racked up a score of 30 in any match yet, the only club in the NRL that hasn’t reached that milestone so far this year.
And unlike the three Covid-affected seasons following their consecutive crowns in 2018-19, it’s hard to use injuries as an excuse.
A whopping casualty list ruined the Chooks’ hopes of a third straight premiership in 2020.
Boyd Cordner, Daniel Tupou, Angus Crichton, Josh and Brett Morris, Victor Radley and Sam Verrills all missed serious blocks of games, as Robinson deployed 29 players in the abbreviated season.
After club stalwarts Cordner and Mitch Aubusson retired at the end of 2020, the 2021 campaign was just as tough.
Luke Keary, Lindsay Collins and Brett Morris all suffered season-ending ACLs — in Morris’ case, ending his career — while Jake Friend retired after just one game due to repeated head knocks.
An illegal hit by ex-team-mate Latrell Mitchell ended Joey Manu’s season prematurely, and lots of other personnel issue forced Robinson to call upon 34 different names.
While the injuries dried up in 2022, the Roosters still languished outside the top eight before Round 18 — the start of an eight-game winning streak to storm into September in sixth.
But the season blew up against arch rivals South Sydney, in an explosive elimination final marred by seven sin-binnings.
The Eastern Suburbs club carried great expectations into 2023.
And while they haven’t had a squeaky clean bill of health — noting new recruit Brandon Smith’s broken thumb, Daniel Tupou’s hamstring and Connor Watson’s long-term pre-season knee injury — most of their wounds have been self-inflicted.
Form and discipline has led Robinson to select 27 players so far this season. Not once has he been able to name the same match-day 17 in consecutive rounds.
Robinson’s biggest selection call was dropping rookie halfback Sam Walker after the Round 7 loss to Cronulla.
The 21-year-old playmaker, who claimed the 2021 Dally M Rookie of the Year award, made way for Golden Boot winner Joey Manu in the halves. Although Manu’s new combination with Keary hasn’t exactly ignited the Roosters’ clunky attack.
Elsewhere, the Chooks’ roster is in interesting shape.
Many key pillars of their title-winning teams — Tedesco (aged 30), Keary (31), Tupou (31) and heart-and-soul enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (34) — are on the wrong side of 30.
Manu (26) is a star, even if standoff may not be his best position and risks stunting Walker’s development.
Sin-bin recidivist Radley constantly battles ill-discipline and Angus Crichton — one of the Roosters’ best over the past three seasons — missed the start of 2023 due to mental health.
The next generation of stars is less clear, especially considering the apparent lack of trust in Walker.
The signing of Matt Lodge — who bounced between the Broncos and Warriors after being charged with assault in the United States in 2015 — raised eyebrows.
And while recruiting Storm forward Brandon Smith has added another big name to the dressing room, his output hasn’t yet represented a major upgrade on Verrills, who’s now a Titan.
Plus, debate simmers over Smith’s best position: is the nuggety Kiwi better suited to lock than hooker, given the modern game’s shift towards speedy dummy-halves?
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is counting down to joining rugby union in 2025.
Keary doesn’t look as potent as he did with a dominant half by his side, such as Adam Reynolds in Souths’ 2014 premiership team or Cooper Cronk in the Roosters’ champion teams.
And perhaps the biggest question mark hovers over the form of Tedesco, who’s come under the microscope for his lacklustre performance in the first State of Origin clash of 2023.
Heralded as the NRL’s premier fullback, the Kangaroos captain has lacked his trademark penetration in his first season since his 30th birthday.
There’s no doubting Trent Robinson’s standing as one of rugby league’s great modern coaches. Only Wayne Bennett has collected more premiership rings in the NRL era.
But helping this vaunted squad fulfil its undoubted potential looms as possibly his greatest challenge.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 486 (July 2023)
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of Rugby League World
