Official Match Day Thread: Roosters v Knights

[bondi.boy]

If Va'as, Steep etc, are not read to play fg this year, then why didn't we buy props from anywhere to replace JWH etc.
May could've been kept for another season. So too Sitili.
Looks like 2025 is now a gap year.
Experienced first graders retired/moved on...young ones not ready.
That's no good, we need to win games.
We're flying high, sponsors are flocking in, crowds too, record.
But there's no whole fg standard team.
30 player roster is on Roosters website....so what's there is it.
Some young players are going to have to play, ready or not.

[Mickie Lane]

I disagree I don't think it's a softening or being fooled I think Nick sees Robinson as his successor, potentially even one day as the chairman but if not definitely someone who whatever role he plays will be a large part of a stable Roosters club. In 2017-2019 the club spent a lot of time, money and effort on reviewing the club's pathway systems including a trip to Barcelona which was centred around seeing their model for pathways. This also included strategic partnerships with the central coast, a revival of the club's affiliation with Ipswich area and ofcourse the Roosters academy.

This feels like the year the club are hoping it will all start coming together. You heard Robinson say multiple times that he would not be buying talent that would block the path of our young kids.

I think there's a longer vision and bigger play at hand.

I just don't buy that Robinson has packed it in and Politis is getting soft. You just don't get to where these two men have by being so fragile.

Who do you think came up with all those ideas?
I say Robbo did & that’s why I always say Nick is in awe of Robbo & that Robbo is the Roosters.
I believe Nick has never come across a football brain like Robbo & Nick knows Robbo knows more about football than anyone he has ever met including himself.
I would say Nick has other men & women in all his businesses that know more than what he does & he’s smart enough to know that.

[Mickie Lane]

If Va'as, Steep etc, are not read to play fg this year, then why didn't we buy props from anywhere to replace JWH etc.
May could've been kept for another season. So too Sitili.
Looks like 2025 is now a gap year.
Experienced first graders retired/moved on...young ones not ready.
That's no good, we need to win games.
We're flying high, sponsors are flocking in, crowds too, record.
But there's no whole fg standard team.
30 player roster is on Roosters website....so what's there is it.
Some young players are going to have to play, ready or not.

I can’t answer that but it’s a lot more complicated than what we on the Chookpen think.

[roosterchook]

Careful.

You will be accused of being too negative & death riding the team.

Apparently all's good in Rooster land.

I’m praying the trials were just that we didn’t take them seriously and that the true winning roosters will turn up come season start. Robinson’s feathers weren’t ruffled so he said so let’s hope we take season games much more seriously.

[JAF]

For what it's worth, the Storm came second last in this years trial's table, and us coming last.

Yes, we played some ordinary footy but it was a chance to give some youngsters a taste of first grade footy and also blow away some cobwebs.

For me, the positive was no long-term injuries.

I look forward to the roller coaster of the 2025 season - bring it on!!

["gaz"]

The team look’s lethargic.

Playing in the sun and heat with dark football jerseys, against teams with lighter jerseys, we never seem to fare well.
I think I recall Aubs losing a stack of weight after one hot game.
I wonder if the jerseys are comparison tested by the club to see any differences in temperature when exposed to hot weather.

[ism22]

Playing in the sun and heat with dark football jerseys, against teams with lighter jerseys, we never seem to fare well.
I think I recall Aubs losing a stack of weight after one hot game.
I wonder if the jerseys are comparison tested by the club to see any differences in temperature when exposed to hot weather.

IMO Robbo probably loaded everybody up with hard weights beforehand and instructed Townsend not to pull out a heap of our more interesting attacking plays.

Not saying this to rev up everybody's hopes. We were still convincingly beaten at full strength (while possibly losing Leniu and Marky Mark, FF...SAAAAAAKE!!!) and will get absolutely belted if we don't improve significantly.

Notes though...

- On his Poddie, Cheese said that Robbo instructs players not to do various things during trials. Tactically we looked boring and people are saying things like 'Townsend was boring and never kicked more than 30m'. This doesn't explain out lethargic/lacklustre defence but it's a known factor. MAYBE... just maybe... Robbo said 'Chad... just run it up and do standard box plays every time. Don't do any deep kicks or grubbers into touch either. I WANT these boys to defend for 80 on tired legs so that they KNOW what it's like to be down by 13 with 10 to go, on the ropes and still keep trying. It's a test of character!!!! I wanna see who resorts to lazy shyte + excuses... and who just shuts the fark up about their sore legs, beings positive energy to others and keeps showing up'. Various ex-players on poddies have observed that Tedesco was the standout in this field. Bouris interviewed Robbo and said something like 'you and me are both strong believers in energy right', with them reflecting on the type of energy various players bring to the squad. Could be off the mark but IMO with a tough season ahead, the boys are gonna need to learn how to keep showing up without whinging and shyte (regardless of the scoreboard). If people can't then they're not 1st grade quality.

- I train full-time for my marathon running (7 days a week, self-funded with multiple sessions a day & strength/balance work from my physio on top of this). Won't try to convince people of my accolades, but I know a thing or two about periodisation as you go through ~5 months worth of mesocycles for each marathon. I dunno the specifics of modern footy training or how Robbo breaks things down. However right now I'm at the pointy end of my training block (close to my race and trying to load myself up with hard sessions before tapering). If it helps... I did a competitive half-marathon on Saturday (max pace, which hurt as that's way faster than my target marathon pace) and then ran 39km on Sunday, with ~650m of elevation and the last 10km being at my target marathon pace (the rest being 15% slower). Yes footy's different but it's not unimaginable that the boys did a full contact session + weights on the Saturday... then came into Sunday's game being instructed that Robbo's expecting them to defend for 80 minutes without the halves doing any strategic kicks.

IDK. That's my two thoughts. I don't think they mean we're gonna pull a rabbit outta the hat against the Drongos (who are in great form). But, it won't surprise me if we're more competitive next week against a stronger opposition.