After Panthers mauling, Roosters look like they have hung up the boots for NRL season 2016

The Roosters have played with plenty of pride and commitment but lack of polish has cost victories. But have they clocked off for the season?

Rooster Ryan Matterson s is tackled by Panthers Peter Wallace (centre) and Trent Merrin during the round 22 NRL match at Pepper Stadium. Picture: Paul Miller AAP.

There was a good feeling leading up to the match against the Panthers. After a great victory against the powerful Brisbane Broncos, many predicted another strong showing at the foot of the mountains.

For the past six weeks or so the Roosters have played with plenty of pride and commitment. It was just mostly some lack of polish and finesse that was costing victories. With so many rookies being blooded the fans began to accept that this was how it would be in 2016.

This all seemed to go out the window however against the Panthers last Monday night. The old bad habits came roaring back in a big way. As a spectator watching the game, it felt as though the team had clocked off for the season.

Rooster Mitch Aubusson is the centre of a Panther sandwich during the round 22 NRL match against Penrith at Pepper Stadium. Picture: Paul Miller AAP.

Once again it was the sad old story that has been the norm for most of the season. Strong opening sets, forwards hitting the advantage line, excellent kick chase. All of the boxes you want to tick.

Then, out of nowhere, comes a brain snap. A bad pass from dummy half, an error playing the ball or a loose carry all of a sudden puts the Chooks under enormous pressure in defence. Inevitably the end result is the opposition scoring shortly afterwards. Any momentum is lost there and then.

When these moments occur you can sense that the remainder of the game will be playing catch-up football. Once this scenario arrives you just know what the end result will be.

For the past three seasons we have been blessed with a successful team. A hat-trick of minor premierships, a grand final victory and many other successes along the way.

Sam Moa puts some Rooster gruntil into tackling Panther Lelani Latu during the round 22 NRL match at Pepper Stadium. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

This year however, the Roosters have simply fallen off a cliff. There have been several contributing factors that have no doubt played their part in the team’s poor performances. They have all been well documented. All we want is for the season to end positively, to give us some hope for a positive 2017.

The task is no easier for the Chooks this Sunday when they take on the defending premiers. Adding to that is that the Cowboys will be seething after suffering a shock defeat at the hands of the Wests Tigers in their previous match.

We can be certain that they will bring their best game to Allianz Stadium and if we get a similar performance to what we saw against the Panthers, it could be a long afternoon.

Easts to win.