Sydney Roosters 2021 NRL season preview: Will Sam Verrills take Jake Friend’s spot?
He’s the club’s co-captain, but will Jake Friend be a permanent fixture in the Roosters’ starting 17 this season? FULL SEASON PREVIEW HERE
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Despite ending the 2020 season with the best attack in the NRL, winning three straight Grand Finals proved too difficult for the Roosters, going down to the Canberra Raiders in the semi-finals.
NRL experts Paul Crawley and Nick Campton look at what 2021 could entail for the Roosters.
LIST CHANGES
2020 ladder position: 4th, eliminated in week two of the finals by Canberra
Ins: Adam Keighran, Joseph Suaalii
Outs: Mitch Aubusson (retired), Poasa Faamausili (St George Illawarra), Kyle Flanagan (Canterbury), Ryan Hall (Hull KR), Christian Tuipulotu (Manly), Sonny Bill Williams (Toronto)
Players in the 2020 Rich 100: 8 — 10. James Tedesco ($1 million), 31. Boyd Cordner ($780,000), 38. Angus Crichton ($750,000), 41. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves ($700,000), 49. Joseph Manu ($700,000), 51. Luke Keary ($700,000), 52. Sio Siosiua Taukeiaho ($680,000), 90. Victory Radley ($500,000)
THE COACH
Trent Robinson is contracted until the end of 2022 but everything suggests he will be head coach at the Roosters for a long time beyond that.
You can make the case Robinson is the greatest coach the Roosters have had in their 112-year history. He’s won more premierships than Jack Gibson, coached more games than Arthur Halloway and helped restore the Tricolours place as rugby league’s glamour club.
The only pressure comes from personal expectation for excellence within the club. We saw with Robinson’s swift reaction to this year’s finals exit that just making up the numbers doesn’t wash at the Roosters.
THE GAME PLAN
The Roosters’ 2020 season was cruelled by a shocking run of key injuries. But the halves combination remains a mystery going forward, and Kyle Flanagan’s departure only places more pressure on Luke Keary.
It remains to be seen if it will be Lachlan Lam or young gun Sam Walker who replaces Flanagan, unless the Roosters have an outside target in their sights. The speculation is that Keary could be shifted to halfback with Lam getting first crack at the five-eighth job.
The biggest tweak for 2021 may well be an off-field decision and that’s the future of skipper Boyd Cordner. A series of head knocks have put Cordner’s career in the balance and the club is in a delicate position – no doubt the club will put Cordner’s welfare first, but the star back-rower has repeatedly said he wants to keep playing.
Such is the Roosters’ back-row depth they can rest Cordner for as long as they feel they need to, but when it comes to concussions there is still so much we do not, and cannot, know about their management and long-term impact.
There may be no answer that satisfies both parties.
THE SIGNINGS
Young Joseph Suaalii is the most talked-about teenager in a long time so the expectation on him is going to be huge. Exactly where he plays is the issue given the Roosters’ current back three includes James Tedesco, Brett Morris and Daniel Tupou.
As good as Suaalii is said to be, he sure has a big job ahead of him to push his way into this starting line up. The 17-year old shapes as Tedesco’s long-term replacement at fullback and could take Brett Morris’ wing spot should the veteran retire at the end of next year.
Adam Keighran is an excellent pick-up given he can play pretty much any position in the backline and is a handy goal kicker to boot.
THE KIDS
Sam Walker is seen as the Roosters’ long-term No.7 and Flanagan’s exit means the time is right to stake his claim. The fact Walker missed playing so much football in 2020 because of COVID restrictions will have set him back but he has been training with the top squad and was unlucky not to get his NRL debut already. It’s only a matter of when, not if, for the most talked about teenage halfback in the country gets his crack.
THE REINVENTIONS
The return from injury of Victor Radley and Sam Verrills just can’t be overstated. Radley is not only a defensive weapon but a tremendous ball-playing lock who really takes the heat off Keary.
Meanwhile, Verrills has already proven himself an outstanding dummy half and his tag team combination with Jake Friend will only make the Roosters a stronger side. The other major issue is the ongoing concussion concern surrounding Boyd Cordner and how long the inspirational co-captain could be sidelined heading into the new season after withdrawing from Origin.
Sitili Tupouniua is his most likely replacement if Cordner is not ready to start the season.
THE NEXT STEP
The halves make up is the most pressing issue. Lam has shown he is a player of considerable potential while the raps on Walker are that he could one of the genuine next generation stars.
But the fact the Roosters moved on another youngster in Flanagan after just one season (where they finished top four) highlights the enormous expectation at this club, particular for those in the key positions.
Given Keary also has a history of concussion injuries only adds to the importance of having a halves partner capable of taking charge. It’s an enormous load for a young playmaker to carry, but if up to the challenge it also presents a tremendous opportunity.
Lindsay Collins also showed during Origin why he is ready to push for a starting spot, even with two outstanding props in Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Siosiua Taukeiaho currently ahead of Collins.
Verrills missed much of this year with a serious knee injury but the Roosters will soon find themselves forced to choose between the past and the future when it comes to their dummy halves. Verrills played a vital role in the 2019 premiership and is clearly the club’s hooker of the future while Jake Friend is still co-captain and one of the club’s most popular players – but at 30, with 263 NRL games to his name and almost as many battle scars, he has more days behind him than in front. Both men are off-contract at the end of 2021, only one can be the long-term starter and there will be plenty of clubs who would take them should the Roosters drag their feet. It’s a fascinating subplot for the Chooks, who rarely get these ones wrong.
THE EXPERT ANALYSIS
Fox Sports Lab’s Aaron Wallace says the Roosters conceded just 262 points in their first 1539 minutes of the season — and 111 in their final 227 minutes.
Perhaps more telling than this is their one win from five starts against the other three top-four teams and just three wins from 10 against the top six.
Victor Radley and Sam Verrills return will no doubt sure up their defensive line — the Roosters are a seven-point better defensive team when Radley played over the past two seasons — but with an ageing roster and question marks over the health of captain Boyd Cordner, it will be interesting to see how they respond.
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