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The Roosters looked good on paper so where did it all go wrong?
FATIMA KDOUH, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
Subscriber only
THE writing was on the wall for the Roosters and their season by January 27.
Mitchell Pearce’s now infamous Australia Day antics saw him miss a considerable chunk of the season and left coach Trent Robinson with the unenviable task of having to start with two rookie halves.
And without leaders Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves available through injury they only managed one win from their first eight starts.
Season 2016 was a far cry from what you would expect from the side that had collected the minor premiership three years running.
Renowned for their defence, they conceded the fourth most points of any side and let through on average 24 points a game.
They also struggled to complete sets and finished the season with the poorest mistake rate in the competition, with an average of 11 handling errors a match.
BY THE NUMBERS
THE STAR
Shaun Kenny-Dowall has been one of the most consistent Roosters over the last couple of season and 2016 was no different.
With his off-field dramas behind him, the Kiwi International found his best football. He made 12 linebreaks, 96 tackle busts, 24 offloads and averaged 120m a game.
Boyd Cordner was missing in stretches with injury and his absence hurt a young and inexperienced side.
When he did return in round 18, he found the scintillating form which made him one of the elite backrowers in the game. He averaged 142m a game and made nine linebreaks.
THEY SAID IT
“We’ve got to make sure we take our lessons,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“If you just brush it aside and you don’t use it you’re not going to get back up there again.
“We’re not unlucky. We don’t deserve to be there and we’ll work hard to get back there again next year.
It’s been a tough and a great year. The good thing is we’ve got some experience there that are hurting and that have stuck tough all year and we’ve got some youth that’s coming through that have played some games.
“I’m excited about the future but we’ve got to make sure we don’t brush over why we had the year that we had as well.”
WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT?
OFF CONTRACT: Tyler Cornish, Mitchell Frei, Ian Henderson, Martin Kennedy, Sam Moa, Abraham Papalii, Omar Slaimankhel, Eloni Vunakece, Joey Lussick
GAINS: Luke Keary (Rabbitohs), Michael Gordon (Eels)
LOSSES: Vincent Leuluai (Storm)
2017 FORECAST
Coach Robinson admitted the failure of this season has left him hurting but he also says he’s excited about next season.
Through all the drama rookies Latrell Mitchell and Connor Watson emerged as bright lights, with both youngsters proving their NRL credentials.
On paper, the Tricolours have the makings of a footy side that should be playing football in September, anything short of that in 2017 will be a huge disappointment for Trent Robinson and his men.
FATIMA KDOUH, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
Subscriber only
THE writing was on the wall for the Roosters and their season by January 27.
Mitchell Pearce’s now infamous Australia Day antics saw him miss a considerable chunk of the season and left coach Trent Robinson with the unenviable task of having to start with two rookie halves.
And without leaders Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves available through injury they only managed one win from their first eight starts.
Season 2016 was a far cry from what you would expect from the side that had collected the minor premiership three years running.
Renowned for their defence, they conceded the fourth most points of any side and let through on average 24 points a game.
They also struggled to complete sets and finished the season with the poorest mistake rate in the competition, with an average of 11 handling errors a match.
BY THE NUMBERS
| MOST TRIES | LATRELL MITCHELL | 14 |
| MOST TRY ASSISTS | MITCHELL PEARCE | 18 |
| MOST ERRORS | LATRELL MITCHELL | 32 |
| MOST TACKLES | JAKE FRIEND | 1184 |
| METRES GAINED | DANIEL TUPOU | 2824 |
| SUPERCOACH | JAKE FRIEND | 1510 (62.9av) |
Shaun Kenny-Dowall has been one of the most consistent Roosters over the last couple of season and 2016 was no different.
With his off-field dramas behind him, the Kiwi International found his best football. He made 12 linebreaks, 96 tackle busts, 24 offloads and averaged 120m a game.
Boyd Cordner was missing in stretches with injury and his absence hurt a young and inexperienced side.
When he did return in round 18, he found the scintillating form which made him one of the elite backrowers in the game. He averaged 142m a game and made nine linebreaks.
THEY SAID IT
“We’ve got to make sure we take our lessons,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“If you just brush it aside and you don’t use it you’re not going to get back up there again.
“We’re not unlucky. We don’t deserve to be there and we’ll work hard to get back there again next year.
It’s been a tough and a great year. The good thing is we’ve got some experience there that are hurting and that have stuck tough all year and we’ve got some youth that’s coming through that have played some games.
“I’m excited about the future but we’ve got to make sure we don’t brush over why we had the year that we had as well.”
WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT?
OFF CONTRACT: Tyler Cornish, Mitchell Frei, Ian Henderson, Martin Kennedy, Sam Moa, Abraham Papalii, Omar Slaimankhel, Eloni Vunakece, Joey Lussick
GAINS: Luke Keary (Rabbitohs), Michael Gordon (Eels)
LOSSES: Vincent Leuluai (Storm)
2017 FORECAST
Coach Robinson admitted the failure of this season has left him hurting but he also says he’s excited about next season.
Through all the drama rookies Latrell Mitchell and Connor Watson emerged as bright lights, with both youngsters proving their NRL credentials.
On paper, the Tricolours have the makings of a footy side that should be playing football in September, anything short of that in 2017 will be a huge disappointment for Trent Robinson and his men.
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