Is 2022 about to feel a lot like 2002?

[Tommy Smith]

I see we're premiering a doco on the 2002 Premiership...

And I also see a lot of parallels. An underwhelming season from a team loaded with talent. And now a demoralising losing streak where now all hope appears lost.

But through it all, flickers of hope. We outplayed Penrith. Missing key talent and robbed by Sutton. A few weeks earlier we would have beaten the Storm had Keary not gone off and Sitili not dropped a try cold.

If you dig deep enough, the embers of something special are there. This is a team that has had zero luck for 3 years now. Not little luck, I mean literally ****ing zero luck.

But if that changes for a few months...

If Keary manages to return. And JWH and Lodge fire to form a formidable monster middle rotation... If Rads and Angus pull their fingers out...

If we contrinue to play through the middle like we did vs Penrith with Teddy, Manu, the halves and hooking rotation firing...

And on the end of it all is the best wing pairing in the comp.

If, IF... the ingredients are there. The competition is sludge and wide open. It's possible. I believe. But best of all, I'm not too fussed if it doesn't eventuate.

[Andrew Walker]

I would consider it a remote possibility if we were to win our next 3 games

[Spirit of 66]

Leading up to Round 22 in 2002, we lost three games straight, then went on undefeated to win the comp. Justin Hodges had a blinder in that pivotal round against Brisbane.

Last night I watched Justin Hodges on Who Do You Think You Are? Most of the football pictures they showed were of Hodges in his Roosters gear.

Clearly an omen!

[Dr. Voodoo Man]

Nah

[Andrew Walker]

Leading up to Round 22 in 2002, we lost three games straight, then went on undefeated to win the comp. Justin Hodges had a blinder in that pivotal round against Brisbane.

Last night I watched Justin Hodges on Who Do You Think You Are? Most of the football pictures they showed were of Hodges in his Roosters gear.

Clearly an omen!

Back then we didn’t really have the likes of Sutton Klein and Cummins itching to dry ream us as hard and often as they could

[Bruce Pickett]

Love it Tommy. Let's hope so.

Penrith and Melbourne get docked all their points for salary cap breaches.

[Inflictor]

Just need everyone on deck in September.
Most of all Keary.
And to make the Top 8 of course.

[Rooster R]

Excellent and we get Ricky Stuart back as coach, NOT!

[Roosterfarian]

Too many IFs there Tommy. We are a shadow of that 2002 side to be quite frank. Our defence in 2002 was something to marvel at. I'd never seen a team so brutal and dominant in their tackling since that team. Our current defence resembles an Ukraine border crossing (sorry Cossack's).

We are too far into the season and towards the finals to turn it around and win a premiership. Best we can hope is to make the 8 and maybe jag a few wins as we are so far from teams like Panthers.

Look for Politis and Robbo to transform our halves and forwards in the coming year or two.

[zac]

the biggest difference from 2002 is that at this stage of the 2002 season we were very likely to make the 8 whereas now it's touch and go. dragons have a tough draw and i can't seem them making the 8. eagles have a fairly soft draw and are a chance. bunnies have a tough draw but have a couple of wins on us. eels and broncos might lose a few but they have three wins on us.
that said, if we make the 8 no doubt we've got a team that can win it.
that said, while we're always playing for premierships, it's always got to be one game at a time

[BraveTheWorld]

Our average loss margin this year is 8.8 which isn't awful, and we should've beaten the Storm and the Panthers in the last few weeks.

There are a few realities to consider, as far as I'm concerned. We should have beaten those aforementioned teams with a bunch of talent still out. I know the Storm weren't fully fit either, but all the same.
If Hargreaves and Keary come back into this side and play some good footy, along with Lodge joining and hopefully playing well, we can beat anyone. We need to start chalking up the wins now, because having the potential to "beat anyone" doesn't do much good if you don't make the finals.

If we're in the top 8 by the end of the regular season, and have a bit of momentum (which we'd need to in order to make the finals), and a healthy squad, I can't imagine any team would want to play us. I'd go further and say aside from the Panthers and the Storm, we'd be the primary team that opposition would want to avoid.

If we play like we have done against the Storm and Panthers in terms of intent, Keary and Hargreaves return fighting fit, Radley returns to somewhere around his former level, and Lodge plays well, we're genuinely in with a shot.

There are a lot of if's and but's, but that's more than you can say for a lot of teams, who have absolutely no chance of winning this year.

[zac]

i'm all for taking one game at at a time so let's not get too far ahead of ourselves - and it's possible that the season goes to shit - but we're the roosters and we're going to give the rest of the season our best shot and maybe that takes us to the top

[Dr. Voodoo Man]

As a team in 2022 the Roosters just aren't that great. I consider us as zero chance but I don't think we will be like this for long. We have not been able to play with the preferred halves pairing or our main dummy half most of the season. We will be on the up soon enough. In my opinion we have a guy who is a mix between Alfie Langer and Thurston in Sam Walker. He is going to win premierships. Its just a matter of when.

[bondi.boy]

I'll be happy if we beat the Dragons at Gosford...so we can own the Central Coast.
...and beat Souths at Allianz so we can own the new stadium.

Win the comp?
Possible.
We'll need a fair go in the refereeing.

We had Freddy in 2002.
And of course...
Wing
Morley...enforcer
Hodges
Fitzy
Mullins
Hegarty
Flannery
Bonetti
Ricketson
Mini
Phillips
Fletcher
Lomu
Cusack
Cayliss
Crocker

[top_joe]

This is the type of thread I love to log-in & see. Bloody good on ya Tommy Smith