James Tedesco on the brink of breakout performance for the Roosters
ROOSTERS legend Anthony Minichiello has put to bed any suggestions star signing James Tedesco is struggling to settle in at Bondi saying the fullback is on the brink of a breakout performance.
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ROOSTERS legend Anthony Minichiello has put to bed any suggestions star recruit James Tedesco is unhappy at Bondi.
Tedesco’s slower than expected start to the season has led to speculation he was struggling to settle-in to his new surroundings.
But Minichiello is adamant there no truth to the rumours.
“In terms of him fitting in with the group and stuff like that, mate, he’s moving to the Eastern Suburbs with one of the boys and he’s excited about that, he is absolutely enjoying his time here,” he said.
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“He’s not unhappy. It’s natural to be disappointing after a loss in the way you play and there has been disappointment and frustration from all the boys on a couple of occasions were they thought they should have won. But that’s as far as it goes.”
The 25-year old’s combination with fellow high-profile signing, Copper Cronk, was supposed to set the NRL alight from round one.
The two have failed to gel on a consistent basis and Minichiello says it’s left them to work out their combinations on the run.
“Those guys played in the World Cup and really didn’t get a pre-season together,” he said.
“Working out each other’s footy instincts during the season is a lot harder than starting a month prior to Christmas.
“The guys didn’t come back until well into the New Year so it’s hard to build those relationships and combinations three weeks before trials.”
But the former Blues fullback says Tedesco is on the brink of a breakout performance that will set the tone for the rest of his season.
“I don’t think it’s only him struggling, I think the whole team has been struggling with their attack,” he said.
“I know that’s the coach’s thoughts too. I’m not even worried about his attack, his attack comes naturally.
“There will be a breakout time … like he’s going to have spiders on him and he’s going to kill it, there’s no doubt about it.
“These things sometimes take more time than people expect.
“There’s no disappointment within the four walls with regards to his attack because I think all of the boys are looking at ways to be better.”
Coach Trent Robinson has placed on emphasis on Tedesco’s defence and it is an area he and Minichiello have been working on together closely.
“What we’ve been focusing on and what I have been working on with him and Robbo is his control of the defensive line,” he said.
“We got our first zero on the weekend so he’s been going unbelievable at that.
“We catch up every couple of weeks and we look at his defensive line, his goal line defence and his organisation of the line.
“And he’s been fantastic.
“There’s been a couple of games so far where they’ve only let in one try the entire match, last week which was a zero, no tries scored, which is the ultimate goal as a fullback.”