Forget this year: rookies and veterans will have Roosters crowing in NRL season 2017

Sydney Roosters’ woeful season has shown glimpses of what the future could hold. And it will depend on the stalwarts and the new crop of recruits hitting their straps.

Roosters Mitchell Pearce talks to the Cowboy leader Johnathan Thurston after the full time siren in the Round 23 NRL game between the Sydney Roosters and the North Queensland Cowboys at Allianz Stadium. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The Sydney Roosters. Terrible one week. Breathtaking the next.

On a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, the Roosters showed just what could have been in 2016. It was powerful up the middle, slick out wide, and aggressive in defence.

Champion playmaker Johnathan Thurston would have been feeling like he had just played for Queensland such was the special attention he received from the Roosters defence. Those clubs in the finals race would have stood up and noticed just how well the Roosters nullified his attacking game.

The score line of 22-10 flattered the North Queensland Cowboys to be fair. If it wasn’t for the Roosters squandering a number of scoring opportunities, the score could have read much worse for the visitors.

Stalwart Mitchell Pearce and his on-field direction has been missing from the Roosters for much of this season. Picture: Paul Miller AAP

Our good friends up in the bunker did their best to keep the Cowboys in the match also. How a try was not awarded to Blake Ferguson is beyond belief.

Everyone in the rugby league community would have agreed that it was a fair try. Well, everyone except for the person pressing the button. Then again, we have come to expect these decisions.

Buoyed by the return of two of their key players, Mitchell Pearce and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, the Chooks looked like winners from the outset. Those two players along with Boyd Cordner, who must be the form forward of the competition, are critical to the Roosters cause.

All three were standouts. With these three players missing a large chunk of the season the team has struggled with leadership and direction.

While we are all frustrated by the way the season has panned out, this team has a bright future. It’s not often rookies chalk up so many games in their debut season. With a good pre-season player such as Lattrell Mitchell, Ryan Matterson and Joseph Manu will only become better players.

Latrell Mitchell is one of the rookies who have played many games this season and provide hope foe the future. Picture: Gregg Porteous

This weekend the Roosters host the St George Illawarra Dragons. They are also coming off a big upset victory. The Roosters will feel like squaring up the ledger after the Dragons got away with a controversial win on Anzac Day.

Plenty of words were exchanged between the two sides post-match. The Roosters felt that the Dragons milked penalties by staying down in what they believed was against the spirit of Anzac Day. Will they employ the same tactics this Sunday?

Despite both teams being out of the running this should be a good contest between old foes.

Easts to win