Roosters aren’t firing yet, and that should worry their opponents

The Roosters have injuries. They have new players. Many of their stars didnt start training until early January. They are still in third gear … and theyve already shown they are the team to beat.

Pacing yourself

When legendary Dutch football manager Guus Hiddink came to Australia in 2005 to help the Socceroos qualify for the World Cup, he did an interview that has always stuck with me.

The Socceroos were treading water and he was asked about their chances of qualifying for the tournament. He said: "Every sporting team in Australia goes 100 miles an hour. They want to be at 100 per cent for the whole game. Its not just the Socceroos. Its in other codes, too. You cant do that. Good teams in Europe come in and out of the game when they need to."

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In other words, when things arent going too well, a good team will just do what they have to do to get the job done. But when they smell blood in the water, they go for the throat. That the Roosters.

It was evident against Parramatta last weekend. The Eels were all over them. In the first half, Luke Keary kept the Roosters in the match with his long kicking game. He just controlled it. He did what he could to keep his side within striking distance.

In the second half, Eels playmaker Mitchell Moses kicked down field from 40 metres out and Roosters fullback James Tedesco caught it in the in-goal. Then the Roosters marched the set 90m. Then they kicked for the corner: Daniel Tupou batted it back to Mitchell Aubusson and they scored in the corner. They go on to win the game by 14 points. Parramatta was the better team for 60 minutes but the Roosters controlled the tempo of the game, smelt blood in the water and then struck.

It doesnt matter how hard you work, you cant be on every weekend. Players are not machines. Roosters coach Trent Robinson understands that.

You could see that last season. At times, the Roosters looked like an average team. Towards the end of the year, though, they caught fire and won the premiership. This time around, Robbo told most of his senior players to stay away from pre-season training until early January. While other clubs had been back for three months, he was resting his stars, knowing that come the end of the year they will be fresher in the matches that matter the most.

In Robbo they trust

Thats why the Roosters are so successful: the players trust the coach.

They trust his game plan, especially defensively. Theyre all on board with his systems. Hes always trying to improve himself and everyone within the club: from the players to his own coaching staff. In video sessions, hes always asking why? He is always challenging them.

The Roosters have the best depth and squad in the competition, but the players also complement each other really well. On the left side, they have the hard-edge of Boyd Cordner next to the freakish skills of Latrell Mitchell. On the right, they have the freakish footwork of Joseph Manu next to the ever-reliable Mitchell Aubusson. People ask why Angus Crichton is on the bench. Because Manu and Aubusson complement each other so well on that right side.

Maybe the best indicator of their depth are the players who arent playing. I spoke to Robbo about a young backrower called Sitili Tupouniua. He said its only a matter of time before he gets a taste.

Sitili is one of those rare players who can hurt players when hes carrying the ball. Ever heard the saying, "Hes all elbows and knees"? Thats this kid. My former Knights teammate Steve Simpson was the same. When he ran the ball, the contact when he hit the line was, well, disgusting.

Pangai got 'Pangaid'

The Dragons were always going to go for Broncos big man Tevita Pangai jnr last Thursday night and they did it well. I thought he still played well but hes now set the bar so high that everyone expects him to deliver every week. The great players reach that level every match, whether its in front of 50,000 at Suncorp or 10,000 at ANZ. Hell learn from it.

The player who will be most critical for the Broncos is Anthony Milford. He has to find some grit in defence. Hes an exceptional attacking player but thats only half the game. The best teams are the best defensive teams. Against the Dragons, he was missing tackles, coming out of the line going for intercepts. The Dragons kept attacking that side of the field and the Roosters will no doubt run traffic at him all night.

Joey's Notebook