NRLW 2022: Roosters reveal plans to unlock potential of Jess Sergis and Isabelle Kelly

She has played for her state and country in the centres, but the Roosters plan to give Jess Sergis more opportunity to follow her attacking instincts. ROOSTERS NRLW DEEP DIVE

Roosters recruit Jessica Sergis training session ahead of the start of the new season. Picture: Richard Dobson

Star Roosters recruit Jess Sergis will get a shot at switching to fullback as the Tricolours grapple with losing seven Origin players ahead of this year’s bumper schedule of two NRLW competitions.

Sergis has joined the club from the Dragons and has starred for NSW and Australia in the centres but coach John Strange is keeping his options open with the 2019 Golden Boot winner.

“I’m not sure where Jess will play, I’ll give her a chance at fullback as well,” Strange said.

“It’s exciting to have Jess. Her speed and her instincts to hit holes is really exciting for me as a coach.

“We’ll set up some plays that really work to her strengths, I’m so excited to have her in the squad.”

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Jessica Sergis will get a chance at fullback. Picture: Richard Dobson

With centre Isabelle Kelly rejoining the club after spending the 2020 season with the Red V, Strange will have plenty of attacking firepower at his disposal – and he means to use it.

“Having someone like Izzy, she won’t be playing the stereotypical centre position, she’s going to be moving around the field so we can take advantage of what she brings in attack,” Strange said.

“They won’t just be stuck on one edge, they’re too easy to defend that way. They’ll be moving around and they’ll be having some fun doing it.”

Sergis and Kelly will give the Roosters the star power they’ll sorely need after seven Origin players were poached by other clubs.

The Roosters will give Isabelle Kelly a licence to rove. Picture: Richard Dobson

Replacing the likes of Kennedy Cherrington, Quincy Dodd, Botille Vette-Welsh and especially prop Simaima Taufa won’t be easy, but the club has been preparing the next generation for some time.

The club’s heavy investment in their Central Coast nursery in recent years will begin to bear fruit with a host of up and comers tagged to replace the departed stars.

“It’s going to be great for the competition. I do agree we’ve had to lose some players to equalise the talent across the new teams, but it’s only going to give some of those girls a real opportunity.

“We’ve lost seven Origin players but the girls who are coming through, a lot of whom have come through our Central Coast Roosters team, are outstanding.

“For example, we have a girl here who last year was playing for our Harvey Norman feeder club, Shawden Burden.

“She was playing for Berkeley Vale, then got into Harvey Norman, now she’s into our NRLW side. That’s what really excites me, seeing the girls come through the local sides all the way to the top grade.”

Yasmin Meakes adds x-factor to the Sydney Roosters NRLW squad. Picture: Richard Dobson

SQUAD:

Isabelle Kelly, Jessica Sergis, Chante Temara, Shawden Burton, Olivia Higgins, Olivia Kernick, Mya Hill-Moana, Roxette Murdoch, Tayla Predebon, Otesa Pule, Leianne Tufuga, Corban Baxter, Keilee Joseph, Jocelyn Kelleher, Yasmin Meakes, Brydie Parker, Hannah Southwell, Zahara Temara, Sarah Togatuki.

X-FACTOR: Yasmin Meakes

The Roosters are well-stocked for outside backs after recruiting Sergis and Kelly but and Meakes will give them even more firepower out wide.

The former Australian sevens star produced a strong inaugural NRLW season in 2020, crossing for two tries in four games, and should round out the backline nicely.

With veteran Corban Baxter running the show at five-eighth, expect the Roosters to go wide early and often throughout the season.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Tayla Predebon

Predebon has huge shoes to fill following Taufa’s departure to Parramatta but the hard-nosed front-rower has put together two excellent seasons for the Central Coast in the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership and was named the club’s best and fairest for the abridged 2021 campaign. “We’re losing Simaima as a front-rower but we’ve got a girl called Tayla Predebon and people won’t know her, she hasn’t played NRLW, but she’s been in our system for two years and she’s going to get an opportunity,” Strange said.