Sydney Roosters’ roster even better for 2019 despite coming off premiership

Is it not the most Rooster thing in the world to win the competition and then add an Origin and international just because they can? FULL ROSTER ANALYSIS

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As soon as the dust settled on grand final night the sentiment was clear — the Roosters have all the tools to go back to back.

But there’s a reason nobody’s done it in over a quarter of a century. Winning premierships, so we’re told, is bloody difficult.

With a couple of new faces, things will be different for the Chooks in 2019 but fans will hope the more things change the more they stay the same.

Full squad

Angus Crichton, Bernard Lewis, Boyd Cordner, Brett Morris, Brock Lamb, Cooper Cronk, Daniel Tupou, Dylan Napa, Egan Butcher, Isaac Liu, Jake Friend, James Tedesco, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Manu, Josh Curran, Latrell Mitchell, Lindsay Collins, Luke Keary, Mitchell Aubusson, Nat Butcher, Poasa Faamausili, Ryan Hall, Shaquai Mitchell, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Sitili Tupouniua, Victor Radley, Zane Tetevano

The Roosters won the premiership but will strengthen their roster in 2019.

Forwards

Ryan Matterson is the only regular forward from 2018 not returning next season and the club has Angus Crichton coming in, so it’s more of the same for the Chooks. They really hit their straps with a starting middle of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sio Suia Taukeiaho and Victor Radley last season, look for that continue.

Backs

Blake Ferguson has departed for Parramatta but otherwise it’s all hands on deck once again. Ryan Hall and Brett Morris have been brought in to replace Ferguson on the right wing but Hall’s chances of finally making his mark on the NRL have been jeopardised by a serious knee injury that will rule him out of the early stages of the season.

Star English recruit Ryan Hall will miss the start of the season through injury.

Spine

No movement on the top but the deck has been shuffled a little bit underneath. Brock Lamb joins from Newcastle to replace Sean O’Sullivan as Cooper Cronk’s understudy, an extremely interesting long-term move. Lamb is a player of real ability who fell out of favour in Newcastle — he’s over-qualified as a back up and could well take over from Cronk should the veteran retire at the end of next season.

Ins: Angus Crichton (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Ryan Hall (Leeds Rhinos), Brock Lamb (Newcastle Knights), Brett Morris (Canterbury Bulldogs)

Outs: Kurt Baptiste (North Queensland Cowboys), Mitch Cornish (retired), Blake Ferguson (Parramatta Eels), Ryan Matterson (Wests Tigers), Paul Momirovski (Wests Tigers), Frank-Paul Nu’uausala (Sydney Roosters), Eloni Vunakece (retired), Sean O’Sullivan (Brisbane Broncos)

Recruitment strength

Is it not the most Rooster thing in the world to win the competition and add an Origin player just because they can? Mitchell Aubusson, Ryan Matterson and Isaac Liu did a good job for the Roosters on the right edge but Angus Crichton is an absolute upgrade, especially as it allows Liu to move back to the middle rotation.

Angus Crichton is a key recruit.

Where they’re lacking

We’re picking nits here but as good as Brett Morris is and has been for so long he’s not the same kind of yardage winger as Blake Ferguson. That’s not a knock on Morris — no player in the league had more carries or gained more metres than Ferguson last season. English legend Ryan Hall would have been better suited to filling Ferguson’s role but his knee injury has thrown a spanner in the works.

Best XVII

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Sio Suia Taukeiaho 11. Angus Crichton 12. Boyd Cordner 13. Victor Radley 14. Mitch Aubusson 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Dylan Napa 17. Isaac Liu