NRL 2021: Nick Politis wants Trent Robinson to be a 20-year coach at the Roosters
Roosters supremo Nick Politis wants Trent Robinson to emulate long-serving master coaches Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy and become a 20-year coach at the club.
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Just days after Craig Bellamy confirmed his new deal will keep him at Melbourne for 20-straight years, Nick Politis has put to bed any speculation about Trent Robinson’s future.
And the powerful Sydney Roosters chairman has declared the 44-year-old Robinson will one day match the benchmark set by Bellamy and Wayne Bennett by coaching the Roosters “for at least 20 years”.
It comes in the wake of the injury-ravaged Roosters’ inspiring 28-0 demolition of fourth-placed Parramatta on Thursday night that has the Roosters now level with the Eels on 28 competition points.
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It’s a phenomenal coaching achievement given the Roosters have lost 16 players to long-term injuries at different stages this year.
Robinson comes off contract at the end of next season, which will be the three-time premiership winner’s 10th straight year in charge at the Roosters.
There’s no doubt that if Robinson was to put himself on the open market he could name his price at any number of clubs.
But Politis has no concerns Robinson won’t be staying exactly where he is and one day etching his name alongside Bellamy and Bennett in the record books.
“He is going to be around for at least 20 years,” Politis said. “As far as I’m concerned he is here for the rest of his days. As long as he wants to coach, he is with us.”
NRL Physio Brien Seeney has revealed the Roosters have had an extraordinary 14 players, including Sam Verrills twice, sidelined with five week-plus recoveries this season, and that tally doesn’t include Boyd Cordner, who suffered his final career-ending concussion last season.
But to put it in comparison to other clubs this year, the Cowboys have been next hardest hit with 12 five-week plus injuries, the Knights and Warriors 10, Sea Eagles 9, Bulldogs, Broncos and Storm 8, Sharks and Eels 7, Raiders 6, Dragons, Rabbitohs and Tigers 5, Panthers 4 and Titans 3.
Of course the Roosters have had both co-captains Cordner and Jake Friend forced into early retirement.
Then throw in the early season-ending ACL knee injury to star playmaker Luke Keary and veteran Brett Morris (also ACL).
Others who have been out for five weeks or more include Verrills twice (knee and eye), Billy Smith twice (shoulder and foot), Lindsay Collins (ACL), Freddy Lussick (arm), Lachlan Lam (knee), Drew Hutchison (ribs), Matt Ikuvalu (syndesmosis), Naufahu Whyte (ankle), Nat Butcher (ankle) and Joseph Suaalii (Lisfranc).
Seeney said he’s in awe at how the Roosters continue to stand up regardless of who is missing.
“It’s phenomenal where they are and a lot of the injuries aren’t just five-week injuries either,” Seeney said. “They are like 10 to 12 to season over, that kind of injuries. It is a really phenomenal effort.”
Politis added the he rates this coaching effort up with any of the years Robinson won the competition in 2013, 2018 and 2019: “It does. By far. I am very proud.
“You never see Robbo ever use (injuries) as an excuse.
“He instils that in their minds, that positiveness.
“It doesn’t matter who is playing, when he sends 13 players out he says ‘we are going to go out there and play the Roosters’ way’. It has been outstanding.”
ROOSTERS INJURY WOES WORSEN
By Martin Gabor
Roosters coach Trent Robinson jokingly asked retired rep star Brent Tate if he wanted to sign a short-term contract and then suggested assistant coach Matt King could be in line for a call-up after his side suffered another injury in the outside backs in their win over the Eels.
Veteran centre Josh Morris scored the opening try of the game but came off with a hamstring injury in the second half as the club’s injury crisis hit new heights.
With Brett Morris retired, Billy Smith and Joseph Suaalii out for the season, and Matt Ikuvalu not expected back until the finals, the Roosters will likely need to hit the market for wingers and centres over the weekend.
There are plenty of quality players struggling for opportunities at other clubs, and they would be walking into an organisation that is on the cusp of the top four and playing well enough to go deep in the finals.
“It’s tough. We’re going to have to keep juggling the balls there,” Robinson said.
The Roosters were forced to play Adam Keighran at left centre while Joseph Manu shifted to the wing, but the in-demand international was as dominant as ever with a try and a game-high 274 running metres.
“We’ve got a fine squad – they’re just going to be playing in different positions as Joey Manu did tonight,” Robinson said.
“That was special from him tonight. Joey’s had to move to the right wing, but he’s our second fullback there and it’s allowing him to roam and run free and go and play some footy. That’s our story this year so we’re just going to have to keep on doing it.
“I don’t believe in being unlucky in that area. There are reasons for everything so we’ve got to work that out. But we can’t complain and we can’t wait. We have to make the best of what we’ve got, and we’ll continue to do that.”
The win sees the Roosters join Parramatta on 28 competition points, and while their attack clicked into gear after a slow start, their coach was more pleased with their defence.
It snapped a poor stretch against the top teams that saw them concede 46 to the Storm, 38 to the Panthers and 31 against Parramatta earlier in the season, and was the first time they’d held a team scoreless since they smashed the Broncos 59-0 in Round 4 last year.
They’ve built their success on the Bondi wall, and with so many attacking weapons missing, it’s their best chance to stay in the fight in the run home to the finals.
“It’s one of those things you strive for and you drive towards and we’ve spoken about it,” Robinson said.
“It was one of our better ‘D’ performances, but it’s very clear the things we still have to work on. We’re getting more and more solid as a unit, and to get a zero is important. We want to build on that.”
GUTHO’S VILE SPRAY SUMS UP ERROR-RIDDEN EELS
By Martin Gabor
When Peter Sterling speaks, you listen.
Unfortunately for Parramatta Eels, they couldn’t have picked a worse time to take the legendary halfback’s advice, and it could cost them dearly in the run to the finals.
Just days after Sterling said they should be more adventurous when coming out of their own end, the Eels played with plenty of enterprise but couldn’t hold onto the ball in slippery conditions in Mackay where the humidity was 81 per cent at kick-off.
And when they did hold onto the ball, their attack was worryingly vanilla.
It even led to the usually cool and composed Clint Gutherson to spray Tom Opacic for an escort penalty on Daniel Tupou, yelling “f*** me you dumb c***” to his teammate, just as Mitch Moses did to him a few weeks ago.
The Eels will finish the round in fourth spot but face a daunting task to hold on after they lost 28-0 to the Roosters who join them on 28 competition points.
The men in blue and gold have a horror finish to the regular season, with games against heavyweights the Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Storm and Panthers to come.
Brad Arthur’s side tried to shift the ball whenever possible, and while it looked good, it was a terrible tactic in the slippery conditions that plagued them several times when coming out of trouble.
They made seven errors in the first half alone, and while the Roosters actually made more, they adjusted their game plan on the run and were able to hurt the Eels with short passes to their back-rowers.
Mitch Moses has his doubters but the Eels are desperately missing their halfback who they hope will return next week to fix their misfiring attack.
HOT CHOOKS
The result was the big scalp the Roosters needed to remind everyone they are still a factor in this year’s competition.
The Tricolours have picked on the bottom teams this season but hadn’t beaten a top-four side until Thursday.
And while they’ve been crippled by injuries in 2021, they still have a core group of stars that they can rely on.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was enormous and set the tone with two carries in the first set in his 250th appearance, Josh Morris repaid his coach’s faith with a try in his return, while James Tedesco and Joseph Manu are wreaking havoc across the park, with halves Sam Walker and Drew Hutchison controlling the tempo.
They probably won’t win the comp, but they deserve plenty of praise for what they’ve been able to achieve this year.
“I was away during the Origin period, but once I came back into the squad, those two boys took a lot of control and that’s what we need,” Tedesco said of the halves.
“Whenever we’re on the front foot, those two get their hands on the ball with me on the inside or the outside. It takes a bit of pressure off me when those boys step up and play some footy so I can just play a natural fullback role.”
Halfback Sam Walker told Channel Nine: “Teddy has been huge. He’s obviously a great footballer but he’s an even better leader,” .
“Some of the motivational things he does on that footy field like taking two hit-ups in a row, little stuff like that, that probably goes unnoticed really lifts the team and we get on the back of it.”
Well that’s going to need some running repairs pic.twitter.com/2SQ2SVCofX
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 29, 2021
COSTLY LOSS
Parramatta’s loss won’t just hurt them on the scoreboard with a number of key players picking up injuries.
Reagan Campbell-Gillard (groin) was forced off in the early exchanges and is looking at a few weeks on the sidelines, Waqa Blake failed a first-half HIA while Blake Ferguson needed to find headgear that fit after he copped a knee to the head that split him wide open and then left the field late with a rib complaint.
“I think I might need to wear one (headgear) for the next few weeks until these things (stitches) get out,” Ferguson said after the game. “I’m just really disappointed. We came here with a good attitude but just dropped too much ball.”
Hamstring injury for Josh Morris who also won’t return. Once again seemed to play on momentarily after suffering strain, hopefully minor. Would be 2-4 weeks return to play if so
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 29, 2021
RADLEY REPORTED
The Roosters have their own concerns ahead of next week’s clash against the Panthers with both Victor Radley and Waerea-Hargreaves placed on report.
Radley’s high tackle is of most concern given he recently returned from a five-game suspension, while the club will also be sweating on the fitness of Morris after he came from the field in the second half with a hamstring injury.
The Roosters are already struggling out wide and will need to go to market in the coming days for some fit outside backs.
Originally published as NRL 2021: Nick Politis wants Trent Robinson to be a 20-year coach at the Roosters
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