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Throughout this round, all I have heard is people talking up the Sydney Roosters top-four potential.
They have the best defence in the comp, they say. Their attack is unstoppable, they say.
Well, let’s just say I am not exactly crowing about their credentials at the moment.
Now, I am not disputing that the Roosters are playing some good, entertaining, attacking football.
In fact, I quite enjoy watching them play, predominately due to the strike power they possess on the fringes.
Michael Jennings in particular is finally reaching his potential on a weekly basis in the Tricolours.
However, they haven’t done enough to convince me, nor the Sunday Football Show panel, that they are top four material.
Granted, they have defended well and blown a few teams off the park, but said teams have predominately been from the lower half of the ladder.
Think about it.
Where are the Warriors, Bulldogs , Eels, and Dragons sitting on the ladder at the moment?
In 16th, 15th, 12th and ninth positions respectively (following the completion of the Tigers/Broncos game).
In games where they have played against reasonably competitive opponents, such as the Broncos and Raiders, their victories have either been much less impressive or they have been defeated.
Additionally, in their only match against a top side this year, the Rabbitohs in Round 1, they were comfortably defeated.
Defending well and scoring points against weaker teams is one thing, but to be truly considered “ahead” of the of the pack, the Roosters must defeat more respectable teams.
My bet is that the top four isn’t set in stone, unlike the views of many other Roarers expressed in a recent article.
I think the top teams can’t keep this momentum going and will begin to slow down around the Origin period.
Injuries and fatigue will begin to take their toll, akin to what happened with the Broncos last year and the Dragons the year before. Whether they recover afterwards is another question altogether.
As the weakest team in the top four, I believe the Roosters will drop out in the coming weeks once they face tougher competition and begin to play more matches away from Allianz.
In the next three weeks the Roosters play the Manly and the Cowboys away from home.
This should prove to be a good indicator of where they sit in the pecking order.
I don’t believe the Bondi Boys have emerged victorious in Townsville for some time now, so the Round 10 showdown should prove to be an interesting contest.
Personally though, I believe their chook is cooked.
What do you think Roarers? Have the Roosters done enough to convince you they are one of the four best teams in the comp, or are they pretenders?
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