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Another year and another finals appearance for the Sydney Roosters under the guidance of supercoach maestro Trent Robinson.
Such is the Tricolours’ familiarity with September football, it has almost become their right to lace on the boots and fill the gatorade tub at this time of the year.
Though no one at the club will openly say it, it was made all the more sweeter when they expunged fierce rivals South Sydney in merciless fashion in the final round of the year, condemning the Rabbitohs to a long off-season of soul searching.
Although critics will trot out the old baseless line “the Roosters have no salary cap” , there is no denying Robinson has the “special touch”.
In recent times many great coaches have been given the opportunity at the Roosters including Phil Gould , Ricky Stuart, Brian Smith, Chris Anderson, Bard Fittler, the list goes on.
And none of these have come close to Robinson’s success – it is without peer and was driven home in 2018/19, when only six years into the top job he became the first Roosters coach since Jack Gibson in 1974/75 to go back to back.
When he landed his first NRL head coach gig back in 2013, it was the players who had previously worked with Robinson as an assistant to Brian Smith for three years who pushed for him to get the gig.
The appointment paid immediate dividends as in his first year at the helm, the Roosters won the minor premiership and the premiership and Robinson collected Coach of the Year honours.
The players’ sentiment towards their former assistant coach was rewarded and he has since repaid the loyalty on countless occasions.
Fast forward and now in his 11th season there is no indication the “Trent Train ” is slowing down anytime soon.
Along with Robinson developing a winning culture at the Roosters with his pragmatic approach, he is also a good judge of character.
Trent Robinson. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
A few years ago when Tevita Pangai jnr was on the move from Brisbane, he was linked with the Roosters. Robinson categorically denied this was the case and was quoted as saying “We don’t want that type of character at our club”.
Robinson was proven right as TPJ has recently lost his lust and desire for the game and has become another of Gould’s misfit recruitments at the Bulldogs.
More recently, Robinson’s judgement on Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell has been proven correct and come to fruition. Mitchell plied his undeniably freakish talents at the Roosters for a number of seasons, but they were privately concerned at him putting the team’s needs before his own and they were happy to let him go to the Rabbitohs. In return they picked up teenage prodigy Joseph Suaalii and the rest is history.
With a penchant for more often than not getting their man, and the player who they think will be the best fit for their club, there aren’t many Robinson misses out on signing – let’s see if the class of ’23 prove Robinson’s judgement right again and go deep into September.
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