Official Match Day Thread: Roosters v Saints

[The Lip]

This his last game with Warriors?

No we have lent him “until we need him back” just this week they updated that loan contract. Good for all i think that deal as long as he doesn’t get injured badly.

[Chook]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/oh-...25-p555zv.html

They’re the ones who got away. The recruiting decisions that make supporters go hmmmmmm.

Think Johnathan Thurston leaving the Bulldogs. Or the Broncos showing no interest in Cameron Smith until the Storm did. And let’s not even start on the platoons of talent the Wests Tigers have let slip through their fingers in recent years.

Brett Morris says the Roosters are the best club he's played for



Then there’s the Morris twins, Brett and Josh, both of whom got away from St George Illawarra, and then the Bulldogs, and then the Dragons again, and also the Sharks.

The Dragons had the chance to get Brett back midway through 2018 but botched it. The Sharks inexplicably coughed up Josh earlier this year, bringing the pair together at the

Roosters when this year’s season resumed after the COVID-19 break.

Reunited and it feels so good.

Brett will line up against the Dragons on Friday night, although Josh was a late withdrawal with a calf strain just as this column was being published. Talk about a mock.


The Dragons' decision to let Josh and Brett Morris was a baffling one.

There's bigger matches to come, of course.

Against Parramatta last Saturday night, the 33-year-old Morris boys demonstrated the true value of a life immersed in football; living it, breathing it, watching it, training it, playing it at the highest level.

Let’s start with Brett.

Many young players are no longer satisfied with being a winger. They want to be centres or fullbacks because, at some point, they want centre or fullback money.

Last weekend, Brett showed what a quality winger is worth to his team. In several matches, on numerous occasions, wingers were denied critical tries because their boot brushed the sideline while diving for the corner.

Brett, though, has an innate awareness of the sideline. Witness his first try against the Eels when he brushed off Dylan Brown and then Clint Gutherson to score in the right-hand corner with just inches to work with. Meanwhile, over at left centre, Josh was turning in his strongest performance in recent memory, brushing off defenders with his right hand while flick-passing to winger Daniel Tupou with his left.

But his greater contribution was in defence, keeping Waqa Blake and Blake Ferguson scoreless by regularly bundling them over the sideline.

He also ripped the ball from Ryan Matterson before as he was about to score.

If the cardboard cut-out supporters in the front row had hands, they would’ve golf-clapped. The steal drew a penalty but Josh's desperation prevented the try.

“They’re like a fine bottle of red wine,” Roosters captain Boyd Cordner oozed after the 24-10 victory.

The wine should be Penfolds, the long-time sponsor of the Dragons. Instead, Brett and Josh Morris are getting paid the equivalent of cheap Lambrusco.

Are you sitting down? They're each on less than $300,000 this season. When Ferguson was at the Roosters, he was earning their combined contracts.
The Morris twins are giving the Roosters great bang for their buck.

People can crack jokes about sombreros and brown paper bags all they like, but it’s this type of judicious recruitment that has the Roosters humming towards a third consecutive premiership.

The failure of other clubs to spend like this means they're in perpetual salary-cap purgatory.

Brett left the Dragons in 2015 to play alongside his brother at the Bulldogs after Josh was edged out the door in 2009 when Wayne Bennett arrived at the club.

They were both on heavily back-ended contracts at Belmore and, when the Bulldogs’ salary-cap mess was laid bare in 2018, the club could only afford to keep one of them.

They wanted Josh but not Brett — and ended up losing both.

Midway through 2018, with the June 30 deadline looming, the Roosters showed interest in Brett, but he indicated he wanted to return to the Dragons.

Instead, the deadline passed and later that year he met with Roosters coach Trent Robinson.

“I’ve got a spot for you,” Robinson told him, “but I’ve just signed Ryan Hall.”

Signing Hall, an English international, meant Brett would be sixth in the pecking order of outside backs behind James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell, Joseph Manu and Tupou.

“I still want to come,” Brett said, backing himself.

When Hall suffered an ACL injury in his final weeks at Leeds, Brett suddenly had his starting spot and he never let it go.

In last year’s grand final, he was among the best on the field. Canberra’s playmakers kicked to his corner time and time again, looking for the error, but he didn’t flinch.

“The Dragons had every chance to try and sign me, but they didn't,” he said after the Roosters secured back-to-back premierships. “It wasn't a money thing. Certain things fell into place and it just didn’t happen. They had their chance to offer me a contract and they didn't. The Roosters did and the end is history.”

Ouch.

An injury to rising star Billy Smith opened the door for Josh Morris to reunite with his brother at Bondi Junction.

Josh went close to playing in England but ended up at the Sharks last season.

They, too, found themselves in a salary cap pickle, but the real issue with Josh came when they signed centre Jesse Ramien from the Knights.

As much as it’s been denied, it was a sign of disrespect for an international centre who was now going to be shunted out to the wing.

When Mitchell left the Roosters and joined Souths, and then his replacement, Billy Smith, suffered a season-ending ACL injury, the Roosters came calling and Josh asked the Sharks for an early release.

How it played out from there depends on who you talk to. Just how much the Roosters paid the Sharks in terms of a transfer fee is unknown, but it’s believed to be around $50,000. Ashtray change for the Chooks.

What’s certain is that Roosters chairman Nick Politis was relentless in his pursuit of Josh and, in the end, got his man as he usually does.

It meant his club got two Morrises for the price of a Ferguson, and about half the price of a Mitchell.

The Roosters never let go of a player they don’t want to keep. They’ve made it an art form. Reunited and it feels so good indeed.

It's not often the lol@souffs media manager does us an solids.

[Bansai Pipeline]

Who replaces Josh Morris?

That's a big loss defensively.

[bondi.boy]

I'll be very happy for us to just win the match.
I've been to far too many Dragons games where we were supposed to win but didn't.
Cooper running off Gasnier's shoulder thru a gap for the winning try..for instance.
They get the players into their dressing room, pup them up on the Red V, tell them they're Dragon warriors, and they go out and belt opposition teams.
We're still behind in the Anzac Day score card.

[The Brain]

losing 2 top in form backs is a big loss...we lose at least 18-24 strike points.
We are such a good team we should kill them anyway .
we have had a few short turn arounds and a last up tough finish ...so we may not put a high score on them ...then again if blokes keep on keeping on then we should smash them and I expect Joey Manu to get more involved and lift his game .
Our forwards are intact and there should be no beating them.
Hopefully we pile the points on early and cruise the second half.
plus Saints is my pet hate ....

[Thirteen]

I'll be very happy for us to just win the match.
I've been to far too many Dragons games where we were supposed to win but didn't.
Cooper running off Gasnier's shoulder thru a gap for the winning try..for instance.
They get the players into their dressing room, pup them up on the Red V, tell them they're Dragon warriors, and they go out and belt opposition teams.
We're still behind in the Anzac Day score card.

Anything less than a 30 point victory will feel like a loss. The Warriors beat that mod 18-0.

[Headless Chook]

I'll be very happy for us to just win the match.
I've been to far too many Dragons games where we were supposed to win but didn't.
Cooper running off Gasnier's shoulder thru a gap for the winning try..for instance.
They get the players into their dressing room, pup them up on the Red V, tell them they're Dragon warriors, and they go out and belt opposition teams.
We're still behind in the Anzac Day score card.

It's not ANZAC Day so what does that have to do with it? If you want to quote records, the Dragions haven't beaten us in a non-Anzac Day Round since 2010

[Johnny Brass]

Even allowing for a couple of injuries we will have far too much firepower for the dragons , Easts by plenty.

[Johnny Brass]

Interesting to see Poasa Faamausili is starting against the Storm tonight. Congratulations to the big guy. Great experience for him.

His been very good for the warriors in the middle of the park another great move by Robbo to loan him out.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Funny old game tonight. It would rank as one of the games biggest upsets if the Dragons got a win.

Strangely betting has Saints at $6 and us $1.13. Would have thought be a bigger disparity with them into double figures. Cant see how they conjure it up even if we play poorly (for us).

We have been so red hot since resumption and needed to be with the slow start. Plus the fast pace, less stoppages suit our brilliant structures and skills better than anyone.

But...we cant keep up this pace all season. At some stage Robbo will need to turn the gas down a little. And freshen us up to peak at years end.

This game sandwiched between Parramatta and Melbourne could see a bit less intensity for 80 minutes from us.

And that would be ok.

Easts by 26.

[Thirteen]

Funny old game tonight. It would rank as one of the games biggest upsets if the Dragons got a win.

Strangely betting has Saints at $6 and us $1.13. Would have thought be a bigger disparity with them into double figures. Cant see how they conjure it up even if we play poorly (for us).

We have been so red hot since resumption and needed to be with the slow start. Plus the fast pace, less stoppages suit our brilliant structures and skills better than anyone.

But...we cant keep up this pace all season. At some stage Robbo will need to turn the gas down a little. And freshen us up to peak at years end.

This game sandwiched between Parramatta and Melbourne could see a bit less intensity for 80 minutes from us.

And that would be ok.

Easts by 26.

We just get Sitili to make his usual one mistake a game. That way no one can say that we are peaking too early.

[The Lip]

We just get Sitili to make his usual one mistake a game. That way no one can say that we are peaking too early.

Sitili made a few more than 1 last week 13.

[bondi.boy]

Anything less than a 30 point victory will feel like a loss. The Warriors beat that mod 18-0.

But not since Mary saw the light and put them back in their right positions.

[Chook]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/06/2...-premierships/

Last week a Donald Trump rally was derailed by an online ruse from teenage TikTok users and K-Pop fans.

But if they want to disrupt something that will really satisfy the public, they should attempt the Roosters’ three-peat.

After vanquishing June premiers Parramatta on the weekend, experts agree nothing can stop the Roosters from another premiership. Not a sophisticated cyber-attack, Korean music groupies, or even something more unlikely, like an NRL team.

On current form, 2020 will be recalled as the time Trent Robinson’s side renewed their premiership defence like a parking spot, turning up on grand final day to stamp their ticket for another 12 months before returning to the car to be envied by everyone else going around in circles.

While another title for us spoilt Roosters supporters will be indifferently labelled as “so 2018”, opposition fans will have their stay extended in an endless dystopia – and it will easily be the worst thing that has happened this year.



Is there anything that can stop the reigning premiers that isn’t already on their roster? Or under research for a vaccine?

Rival fans sensed the dynasty was over when the club began the year with back-to-back losses, but it was a false dawn despite no Cooper Cronk, no Latrell Mitchell, no home ground, no fans and no room in the cabinet.

In the face of pandemics and rule changes, the Tricolours have resumed business as usual: dignified beatings of various severity. They still can’t be topped, even with the benevolence of Nick Politis allowing every other club to keep their competition points.

Throughout history, you can never count on the foundation club being down too long. But even by their own standards, this is getting ridiculous. There are infants walking this earth who’ve never experienced the feeling of blaming Mitchell Pearce.
While the ’80s and ’90s were best known for a soft underbelly of excess torpor rates and corporates, now their only danger is themselves – that being either complacency, or Vic Radley folding teammates at training.

Saturday’s clash with the Eels was billed as a test, and it certainly delivered. In a finals-like match that was in the balance throughout, Brad Arthur’s side were dominant throughout and led with 20 minutes to go, whereas the Roosters won 13-plus.

In addition to spending the final 20 minutes minus James Tedesco, the back-to-back champs also endured 48 hours less preparation time because, according to Aiden Tolman’s fierce lockdown directive, the Bulldogs had spent the previous week partying with Novak Djokovic.

Credit where it’s due, the Eels undoubtedly proved themselves as an outfit that could definitely lose this year’s grand final.

But Robinson’s men were rarely concerned by them throughout the 80 minutes, much in the same way they haven’t been for the last 30 years.

So what makes the Roosters way better than your bunch of losers?

It’s a dirty topic, but they recruit like the Russian mafia – using ruthlessness, frugality, and an autocrat. They seek to improve on the run, whereas clubs like the Titans adopt unique strategies like getting rid of their best player to pay more for someone inferior. The Chooks then pimp their roster with superb premiership cornerstones like the Morris twins, before complementing these superstars with valuable bit-part players like Cooper Cronk and Sonny Bill Williams, thus allowing X-factors like Mitch Aubusson to run amok.

At the heart of the operation is Trent Robinson, some guy from Super League who played three games off the bench. After all these years of stereotyping, it’s hardly a shock the club’s mojo was unlocked by a cigarette-smoking, French-speaking renaissance man.

In summary, engrave the Provan-Summons with another ESDRLFC – because they can’t peak too early if they’re peaking all the time.

But never fear – there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the rest of the competition. Synergy tells me the Roosters’ domination is definitely going to end, probably by the time of COVID-20.

[Thirteen]

But not since Mary saw the light and put them back in their right positions.

So we can’t win without Latrell and the Saints are now a decent side. I love you BB ❤️ .