James Tedesco stars with two tries as Roosters edge Sea Eagles on the Central Coast
LIFE with Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco at the Sydney Roosters has got off to a winning start but let’s not get carried away just yet.
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UPDATE: TRENT Robinson has shot down suggestions the Sydney Roosters’ new look spine
will take time to gel after life with Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco got off to a
winning start.
A second half double to Tedesco in the space of five minutes saw the Roosters fight
back from trailing 22-16 at halftime to run out 28-26 winners over Manly.
In a seesawing match that finished five tries apiece, the Sea Eagles had an
unbelievable start.
Ball playing lock Jake Trbojevic played a significant hand in three tries in the opening
10 minutes to lead 16-0 before the Roosters had even touched the ball.
Young powerhouse centre Latrell Mitchell showed he’s only going to go from
strength to strength this year with two first half tries.
But it was Tedesco’s spectacular second half chip and chase try that had Roosters fans
chanting the name of their new recruit.
Plenty of people including respected commentator Matthew Johns have said the
Roosters would struggle to live up to pre-season premiership favouritism in 2018
because of key changes to their spine.
But Robinson was adamant after last night’s performance that was not his concern
heading into round one against the Wests Tigers.
“I have heard a lot about combinations this week and how it is a linear progression
based on time and I don’t believe that,” Robinson said.
“I think you can see people that have played for years that don’t have good
combinations, and guys that work hard enough and train hard enough and get it very
quickly.
“And I think that is what we want to see.
“I don’t think it is about time as in weeks and months.
“I think it is about time you spend together, time on field, the time that you think
about your combinations away from here.
“That is how you improve your combinations.
“We expect to accelerate quickly on that. Not at the speed that I think people are
talking about.”
Cronk played 52 minutes last night and as Robinson said “put his influence on the
team around his control of the game” when the team was behind to lead them back
into the match.
Tedesco also started the match with limited opportunity but he made the most of his
chances after the break.
Tedesco chased through to swoop on a Jake Friend grubber kick close to the line in
the 50th minute.
And just minutes later he spotted Tom Trbojevic out of position and came up with a
play that highlighted his class, speed and football IQ.
“People call it talent but it is not talent,” Robinson said.
“The guy works on that sort of stuff.
“He knew where Tom Trbojevic had left early, gone over to the left.
“And he read the play.
“You get to understand why the guy comes up with those plays, because he works at
that stuff.”
The other interesting point for Roosters fans was that Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
started the match on the bench with Siosiua Taukeiaho playing prop and first choice
goal kicker ahead of Mitchell.
Waerea-Hargreaves was initially not going to play but Robinson conceded the fight is
now on for all the middle forwards to see who gets the starting spots for the first
round.
Robinson pointed out that Taukeiaho kicked at 89 per cent for Tonga in the World
Cup and “goal kicking is a pretty important one for us”.
For Manly, the lost the game but may have come up with an answer to a question
we’ve been asking all summer.
Following Blake Green’s departure to the Warriors, young five-eighth Lachlan Croker
was talked up as the player who would have to take the pressure off Daly Cherry-
Evans.
But last night Jake Trbojevic showed what a valuable player he is to this team.
In his first game back from a pectoral injury suffered in Australia’s opening game of
the World Cup, Jake really stole the show in the first half with some superb ball
playing that brought back memories of the way locks used to play decades ago.
Tom Trbjoevic was also a powerhouse in the first half but came up with some errors
in the second.
Akuila Uate also finished with a double while centre Brian Kelly had some classy
touches.