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NRL 2017: How Jake Friend stopped Roosters, Trent Robinson’s pursuit of Robbie Farah in its tracks
CALL it the best $80,000 Trent Robinson never spent.
Even a NSW hooker at this bargain basement price isn’t worth a man who quite literally, will put his life on the line for your cause.
Come round one, Robbie Farah will be all anyone’s talking about as he and the Bunnies stare down Jason Taylor and the Wests Tigers who punted him.
It could so easily have been the Roosters preparing for a hurricane of hype, when a little over 12 months ago they emerged as shock frontrunners for Farah’s signature.
Never mind they had a future Origin No.9 in Jake Friend. If the Tigers could be talked into paying all but $80K — the NRL’s minimum wage — of Farah’s estimated $950,000 salary for 2016, why wouldn’t the Roosters have a look?
All things fair in league and warfare, why wouldn’t Friend — then the club’s co-captain and Cam Smith’s Maroons successor — in turn have his say?
He had, after all, played on with a busted lung that doctors likened to that seen in car crash victims, losing a life-threatening two of the body’s five litres of blood after a game in 2014, only to return to the park two weeks later.
“For myself, I wanted to play as much game time at dummy half as I could. I made that be known,” Friend told foxsports.com.au.
“I told Robbo that I prefer to not be subbing on and off with someone.
“But in the end, it was Trent’s decision and the club’s decision. If they thought that recruiting Robbie was the best thing, I would have had to deal with it and I would have.
“I was always pretty comfortable with where I was at with the Roosters. It was more about me being able to play as many minutes as I can.
“In the end, it turned out the way it did and that was it. Nothing really came of it and it ended up being one of those things that happens in footy.” Understandably, Friend’s feathers were immediately ruffled by the approach to Farah. But in equally quick time, Robinson’s best attribute as a coach came to the fore.
As a manager of men, all involved at Bondi Junction and plenty throughout the game make the same noises loud, clear and often.
Keeping onside a skipper who has been sacked, clawed his way back and earned his teammates respect with a lazy billion tackles each year was a no-brainer.
Even less thought needed than an Origin hooker going at $80K.
Trent Robinson’s relationship with Jake Friend is stronger than ever. pic Mark Evans
“He’ll come to you and he’ll talk to you about something like that.
“In the end, he’s the coach and he’s got to make that decision. I think all the players in the team respect that.
“But he also makes clear; he’ll always ask you the question and listen to what you’ve got to say.
“He takes that on board when he’s working things out, and that’s what you do respect.”
Now Friend and Robinson are the two key pillars in the Bondi rebuild.
Friend is signed until the end of 2018, Robinson until 2019, the Roosters board laying their loyalty bare with a two-year extension when they were languishing in 15th last June.
Along with new co-captain Boyd Cordner (signed until the end of 2018), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (2020) and Mitchell Pearce — in talks with a three-year Roosters deal expected to be tabled soon, the core quintet are again raising the off-field standards that slipped in 2016.
Players are chipping each other at training again if anything untoward creeps in. The gym is being cleaned-up after each use.
Jake Friend is leading the overhaul of the Roosters off-field practices. pic Mark Evans
“One thing about the club, and Robbo has been at the top of it, his message has been about working together to get us back where we need to be,” Friend said.
“He was honest about where we were. He and the coaching staff, the standards they set and the hours they work to get our structure and training to the perfect level, we see that as players and we see how hard they work.
“It makes you put in, it makes you respect them and vice-versa.
“ ... It’s not much, just things like cleaning up after ourselves and showing that respect for the place and people around you at the club.
“It’s only little things but it’s what creates a culture.
“We’ve got the players to turn ourselves around; it’s about playing to our potential and re-establishing that culture and those standards that have served us well the last few years.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-...334cbce9a13657
- February 3, 2017 8:00am
- DAN WALSH@dan_walsh64
- Source: FOX SPORTS
CALL it the best $80,000 Trent Robinson never spent.
Even a NSW hooker at this bargain basement price isn’t worth a man who quite literally, will put his life on the line for your cause.
Come round one, Robbie Farah will be all anyone’s talking about as he and the Bunnies stare down Jason Taylor and the Wests Tigers who punted him.
It could so easily have been the Roosters preparing for a hurricane of hype, when a little over 12 months ago they emerged as shock frontrunners for Farah’s signature.
Never mind they had a future Origin No.9 in Jake Friend. If the Tigers could be talked into paying all but $80K — the NRL’s minimum wage — of Farah’s estimated $950,000 salary for 2016, why wouldn’t the Roosters have a look?
All things fair in league and warfare, why wouldn’t Friend — then the club’s co-captain and Cam Smith’s Maroons successor — in turn have his say?
He had, after all, played on with a busted lung that doctors likened to that seen in car crash victims, losing a life-threatening two of the body’s five litres of blood after a game in 2014, only to return to the park two weeks later.
“For myself, I wanted to play as much game time at dummy half as I could. I made that be known,” Friend told foxsports.com.au.
“I told Robbo that I prefer to not be subbing on and off with someone.
“But in the end, it was Trent’s decision and the club’s decision. If they thought that recruiting Robbie was the best thing, I would have had to deal with it and I would have.
“I was always pretty comfortable with where I was at with the Roosters. It was more about me being able to play as many minutes as I can.
“In the end, it turned out the way it did and that was it. Nothing really came of it and it ended up being one of those things that happens in footy.” Understandably, Friend’s feathers were immediately ruffled by the approach to Farah. But in equally quick time, Robinson’s best attribute as a coach came to the fore.
As a manager of men, all involved at Bondi Junction and plenty throughout the game make the same noises loud, clear and often.
Keeping onside a skipper who has been sacked, clawed his way back and earned his teammates respect with a lazy billion tackles each year was a no-brainer.
Even less thought needed than an Origin hooker going at $80K.
Trent Robinson’s relationship with Jake Friend is stronger than ever. pic Mark EvansSource: News Corp Australia
“We had that chat straight away and that’s one of the best things about Robbo,” Friend said.“He’ll come to you and he’ll talk to you about something like that.
“In the end, he’s the coach and he’s got to make that decision. I think all the players in the team respect that.
“But he also makes clear; he’ll always ask you the question and listen to what you’ve got to say.
“He takes that on board when he’s working things out, and that’s what you do respect.”
Now Friend and Robinson are the two key pillars in the Bondi rebuild.
Friend is signed until the end of 2018, Robinson until 2019, the Roosters board laying their loyalty bare with a two-year extension when they were languishing in 15th last June.
Along with new co-captain Boyd Cordner (signed until the end of 2018), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (2020) and Mitchell Pearce — in talks with a three-year Roosters deal expected to be tabled soon, the core quintet are again raising the off-field standards that slipped in 2016.
Players are chipping each other at training again if anything untoward creeps in. The gym is being cleaned-up after each use.
Jake Friend is leading the overhaul of the Roosters off-field practices. pic Mark EvansSource: News Corp Australia
Robinson and his football staff went that extra yard or two when he and assistants Craig Fitzgibbon and Matt King jumped in for every gut-busting, ball-breaking, torturous test imaginable on a four-day boot camp in Queenstown prior to Christmas.“One thing about the club, and Robbo has been at the top of it, his message has been about working together to get us back where we need to be,” Friend said.
“He was honest about where we were. He and the coaching staff, the standards they set and the hours they work to get our structure and training to the perfect level, we see that as players and we see how hard they work.
“It makes you put in, it makes you respect them and vice-versa.
“ ... It’s not much, just things like cleaning up after ourselves and showing that respect for the place and people around you at the club.
“It’s only little things but it’s what creates a culture.
“We’ve got the players to turn ourselves around; it’s about playing to our potential and re-establishing that culture and those standards that have served us well the last few years.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-...334cbce9a13657
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