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They are without a doubt the form side of the competition and the favourites to win the 2015 NRL premiership, but how will the Sydney Roosters perform in the finals series?
Coming off the back of 12 straight wins, the Roosters have certainly sent a message to the rest of the competition staking their claim for a second premiership in three years.
While the wins have been stacking up, there have been some areas of concern for Trent Robinson’s side. The biggest threat to the Bondi club’s charge for the final is the availability of key players.
We know the Roosters will be without Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear. The form front-rower has been invaluable this year averaging 115 metres and 28 tackles per game.
Although the Roosters have the depth to cover the hard-hitting Kiwi, Sam Moa has only just returned from injury himself and any unforeseen incident could leave the tri-colours with Dylan Napa, Kane Evans and Suaia Matagi as the only specialist props in the squad.
The Roosters are faced with the prospect of battling their way to the grand final without the leadership of the club co-captain and halfback Mitchell Pearce.
While Pearce has claimed he aimed to be back for this weekend’s Friday night qualifying final against the Melbourne Storm, the club may not want to risk a further aggravation by rushing him back. Stand-in halfback Jackson Hastings has been in fine form since Pearce’s injury and will surely be capable of continuing that ability.
Through the absence of Pearce the majority of credit for the Roosters’ performances is reserved for five-eighth James Maloney. Maloney has taken on the burden of being the team’s leading playmaker and hasn’t missed a beat.
Since Pearce’s injury Maloney has provided six try assists and missed only two conversions out of a possible 16. When some would crack under the pressure, Maloney has risen above ready to lead his side into the finals, in what will be his last year at the club.
Another problem for Robinson has been the situation surrounding Shaun Kenny-Dowall. Having scored 13 tries in his opening 16 games of the season, Kenny-Dowall was forced to step down from the Roosters side after their Round 18 clash with Penrith on July 11.
Off-field dramas had affected the mental wellbeing of the New Zealand international and he was granted personal leave until he felt well enough to rejoin his teammates. Kenny-Dowall had become the cornerstone of a sensational back-line for the Roosters. His combination with Blake Ferguson on the Roosters’ right-hand edge made them a devastating duo combining for a total of 20 tries.
Rookie winger Brendan Elliot was chosen to replace the unavailable Kenny-Dowall, and like so many other Roosters this season, he picked up where his predecessor left off. In Elliot’s 11 first grade games this year, the 21-year-old has scored eight tries and defended admirably.
The way players have been able to slot in anywhere on the field is a true testament to the method and regime instilled by Robinson. There are few other teams in the competition that have the depth to aptly cover the absence of so many key players throughout the course of the year, remembering Jake Friend missed the first five games and Blake Ferguson missed seven with an ankle injury. Robinson has stressed that his side have “no excuses” for not performing week in, week out.
“We’ve just got to move on. There’s no excuses. No one makes excuses. No one looks back in years gone past and says ‘someone was out’. You’ve just got to move on and prepare for … next week,” Robinson said after Pearce and Hargreaves’ injuries.
Squad availability aside, the Roosters seemed to have addressed their defensive lapses of late. Only a month ago they raced away to 22- and 32-point leads over the Bulldogs and Knights respectively, however they completely switched off in both games and won by only 10 and 16 points.
Against the Bulldogs, the Roosters were forced to actually come from behind, scoring 16 points in the final 12 minutes to secure the victory. Following these results the Roosters found themselves 18-4 down at half-time to the struggling Eels, only to score 24 second half points on the back of a superb performance by Waerea-Hargreaves.
These lapses seem to be a thing of the past with the tri-colours conceding a mere 20 points in their last three games, against the Broncos, Sea-Eagles and Rabbitohs.
Boasting the best attacking and defensive record in 2015, and on a streak of 12 straight wins, the Roosters will surely go all the way to lifting the premiership this year. Each and every member of the squad knows exactly what their role is and they are exceeding all expectations.
From fullback to halfback, it would be safe to say the Roosters have the most dominant back-line not just of this season, but probably since the Melbourne Storm of 2007. Departing fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has made more metres than any other player ever over the course of the season. Daniel Tupou has moved on from being dropped from the losing NSW State of Origin side to score 16 tries, while his inside centre Michael Jennings has scored eight.
Having already mentioned the prolific right side, as well as the form of the halves, once Pearce returns to the fold, it’s evident to see that this representative back-line will be nearly impossible for any defence to handle. Leading the competition in line-breaks (110) and kick return metres (5344 metres), the raw speed, strength and power of the backs will be unleashed during the finals of the competition.
Moving further through the squad, the forward pack of the minor premiers can be just as devastating as the backs. Again leading the league in tackle breaks (755), the Roosters also sit second, behind only the Cowboys, in ‘all run metres’ (40,957 metres).
The loss of Waerea-Hargreaves has been more than handled so far by Moa, Napa and Evans, and with Friend providing excellent service and defence the front-row looks primed for the finals.
The back-row of Boyd Cordner, Aidan Guerra and Sio Siua Taukeiaho has been as consistent as any this year. Their ability to offload at the line or put a player in space has given their backline the passages to do the devastating damage. With a strong bench and the team growing in confidence with every win, they will surely be too hard to stop.
If the Roosters somehow fail from here it could very well be a long road back to the top, with the likes of James Maloney and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck leaving for Cronulla and New Zealand respectively in 2016.
The 2015 squad that has been at the disposal of Robinson makes anyone question how the Roosters could possibly have the same salary cap as Newcastle when you compare rosters.
However, we know that names on paper and performances on the pitch are two very different things. If the Roosters want to make the fact that they boast such an impressive side count, they will have to go all the way to lifting the trophy.
At this point, I can’t see another side in the top eight standing in their way.
Statistics from NRL.com
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