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One of the more high profile controversies of the off season was the contract forgery relating to Gold Coast Titans star James Roberts.
After the saga was revealed, Roberts let and went to the Titans’ most hated rival, richer cousin the Brisbane Broncos.
At the time, the move seemed like a great idea for both parties. The Broncos get the defending 2015 Dally M centre of the year, and James Roberts gets to play for the team that fell half a second short of winning the premiership.
But now, ‘Jimmy the Jet’ has been grounded, and his side of the bargain seems to be not as sweet as it originally seemed. Sure the Broncos are playing well, going two from two after last night’s 15-point win over the Warriors, but Roberts has easily been the side weakest player.
At the Gold Coast, Roberts was essentially surrounded by the worst players in the league. They were hopeless. He essentially became the get out of jail free card for the Titans, and most wins they had either fell to him or Aiden Sezer to get the job done.
However, Brisbane are most likely the most naturally gifted side in the competition, and are much less dependent on Roberts’ ability. For these last two matches, you wouldn’t be mistaken for even thinking he isn’t even playing.
On the other hand, the Titans played well last Sunday, and looked pretty happy doing it, something many could say hasn’t been seen in a long time. I’ve heard talks that this is due to Roberts’ departure, which has allowed them to share the workload instead of relying on one man to get the job done.
It is early in the season, but there wasn’t two consecutive games last year where the name Roberts didn’t get a spot in the sports section of the news. Add to this his likely suspension for touching the referee, and Roberts could be spending another few weeks out of the side.
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