Sydney Roosters 2016 NRL Season Debrief
Jackson Hastings who?
If we're talking about falling from grace, we need not look no further than the Roosters. It was only last season that the Chooks were still sniffing around in the Finals as one of the more dangerous NRL teams, armed with a forward pack of beasts and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in record-breaking form. This season the Roosters slipped down the pecking order as they struggled to establish combinations early on and battled a constant wave of injuries to their best forwards.
Yesterday I wrote about Newcastle and the clarity of their rebuilding, which allowed for positive vibes about their future despite winning the wooden spoon this season. Once again, I find myself feeling nothing but positive vibes writing about one of the 'worst' teams in the NRL and it's weird that teams who finished above the Roosters and Knights could be in greater need of change than the Roosters or Knights.
NZ Warriors fans only need to look at how the Roosters have fallen away without Tuivasa-Sheck, as reason to be optimistic about their own future and why they shouldn't be so down in the dumps. The Roosters were unable to replace Tuivasa-Sheck and even though they settled on Blake Ferguson as their fullback, Ferguson doesn't do what Tuivasa-Sheck did. Although the Roosters also lost James Maloney and Michael Jennings, that the Roosters switched between Ferguson and Latrell Mitchell and then back to Ferguson should be a clear example of the Tuivasa-Sheck hangover.
The Roosters were forced to look towards youngsters thanks to those departures and the Mitchell Pearce shenanigans, basically taking the Roosters out of any top-8 conversations. While they still had that forward pack of beasts who could keep the Chooks in games, without Pearce and then with a young half in Connor Watson earning his stripes, along with either Mitchell or Ferguson playing fullback, the Roosters were always battling to build cohesion.
What is strange, is that the Roosters season started with plenty optimism about their young halves duo who were tasked with covering Pearce's absence. Jayden Nikorima and Jackson Hastings were 'next up' for the Roosters and there appeared to be hope about what they could dish up this season in conjunction with a strong forward pack and subsequently the next few years. The funk here comes as youngsters are the reason why I view the Roosters as having huge upside for the coming seasons, yet Nikorima and Hastings don't feature in that optimism.
Such was Hastings' season, he may not be a Rooster next season. Instead of Hastings and Nikorima fighting it out to partner Pearce, it was Watson who impressed the most with his running game that resembled that of Maloney. Watson is the reason for optimism as he's already laid the foundation with Pearce and they will build their combo, while we also saw Ryan Matterson get valuable experience and experience that is going to be of great benefit down the track.
Matterson can cover a range of positions and that's exactly what he did for the Roosters this season. Often young utilities get their foot in the NRL door in a position before moving on to their utility role, Matterson had a crash-course in being an NRL utility this season and having already done a variety of jobs for the Roosters this season, he'll be better off for it next season.
Watson, Matterson, Mitchell and Joseph Manu are perfectly poised to take the Roosters forward and with the experience of Pearce, Fergsuon and Shaun Kenny-Dowall, the Roosters have a great mix.
A great backline mix that will look upon the stars for guidance, for hope that their forward pack can stay healthy. Boyd Cordner had a great season when he was healthy, as did Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and along with the likes of Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Dylan Napa, Kane Evans and Isaac Liu, the Roosters have a forward pack that is at the start of their prime years - a fairly scary thought. The forwards also have key veterans, led by Mitch Aubusson who drive the culture and work ethic of the Roosters. This balances out the size and aggression with a cool head who covers a bunch of positions and offers something that none of the beastly Roosters offer with greater mobility and speed.
What is scary for the rest of the NRL, is that the Roosters won't be this far down the NRL Ladder for too many more seasons, if at all another season. Fans should be excited that the Roosters have settled on a group of youngsters who have proven themselves in the NRL and gained valuable experience, stir that in with a sprinkling of experience and you've got an interesting 2017 season ahead for the Roosters.