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Memo to the Roosters: don't get too cocky yet!
Melanie Dinjaski
Roar Guru
4th August, 2010
10
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Melanie Dinjaski
Roar Guru
4th August, 2010
10

As a long-time Roosters supporter, I couldn’t be happier about the current winning streak the Bondi boys are on. It’s surprised everyone, even me. But after a fairly lacklustre start to the year, can they really be considered as possible premiership winners?

They have been widely lauded as having the most potent attack in the NRL. But if this season’s results tell us anything, it’s that they can just as easily concede plenty of points as well as score them.

Eight times this season, the Roosters have put more than 30 points on the board and on seven occasions they’ve conceded just as many, including a 60-14 thrashing at the hands of Canterbury in Round 3.

In the early stages of the season they would put in scintillating performances, but back it up with rather ordinary ones, as they struggled to mount back to back wins for a majority of the season. This inconsistency has all but left them, winning five of their last six games.

But it was last week’s thrilling display against Parramatta that has seen the Roosters, almost overnight, hailed as contenders for the 2010 Premiership title.

But is it really possible?

It would be a tremendous turn around for the club that finished last year with the dreaded wooden spoon.

The last few years have been a shambles for the Roosters. The 2002 Premiership winners have been plagued by instability at the club since 2005. Over the years, long-time players have left the club or retired, there was the sacking of coach Ricky Stuart and appointment of Chris Anderson, followed by the disastrous selection of Brad Fittler – legendary player, but an absolutely hopeless head coach.

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After so many unsuccessful coaching stints, I was unsure whether Brian Smith would be up to the job. But he has proven himself to this team and its fans. With Brian Smith, the Roosters have played like a team for the first time in years. He’s addressed off field behaviour as an important part of the team’s improvement on the field, with players encouraged to abstain from alcohol and steer clear from late nights out on the town. Focus like this has brought the team together and provided some much-needed structure.

But the stroke of genius which has prompted a boost in confidence at the club, has been the halves combination of Todd Carney and Mitchell Pierce. The shuffle around of Carney was particularly note-worthy. He had played most of the season at fullback with a few stints in the halves, when Pierce was called for Origin duties. It was in this role that Smith spotted his potential. The two play with instinct and flair, and both are so in tune with each other’s style of play, giving them the remarkable ability to put points on the board. Along with the Carney/Pierce combination in the halves, Braith Anasta was moved to lock and Anthony Minichiello went from a winger, back into the number 1 jumper that made him famous. A stable and potent structure like this has long been missing from the side, but its back, and its effectiveness is clear to see.

Though, one thing that still haunts the team is the unfortunate fact that they concede a multitude of unforced errors each and every game. This often leads to a seemingly defeated opposition to hit back, as we saw in Round 20 against the Brisbane Broncos. But it’s something they will have to get a hold of, if they have any chance of downing the first placed Dragons this weekend.

It has been tipped as one of the must-see games this season. The Dragons, the best defence in the NRL, versus the best attack in the Roosters. The Dragons are text book in their execution, making few errors in a game, which will make the Roosters have to work hard for points. If the Roosters make too many errors, St George Illawarra will surely make them pay. Both teams are hungry to prove their Premiership potential, and especially so for the Dragons who are eager to demonstrate their dominance at the top of the ladder, despite a late collapse of form, not unlike what we saw from them last year.

The Dragons versus Roosters clash will be telling, whether or not the Roosters are a serious Premiership chance. And with the Panthers and West Tigers on equal points as the Roosters, and the Titans just 2 points behind on 26, it will be crucial for them to cement their place at the upper end of the top eight. This is especially important with a fairly challenging finish to the season when they face the Sharks, Titans, Sea Eagles and the Cowboys, while the Dragons face the Sea Eagles, Raiders, Knights and Rabbitohs in the final rounds.

The Roosters have the strength, pace and agility of a deadly attack, but their defence can sometimes be questionable.

This makes me sceptical that they can pull off such a season turn around and take out the 2010 Premiership, let alone the Minor Premiership. But with the Aubusson brothers, Minichiello, Graham, Pierce and Carney, and the try machine that is Shaun Kenny-Dowell leading the pack, you just can’t rule the Chooks out.

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The unpredictable nature of this Roosters outfit makes them a bookies nightmare, but a spectator’s delight. So even if they don’t take out the Premiership, they’ve certainly made this title race one of the most exciting finishes in recent NRL history.

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