The veterans of the 2013 grand final hold lessons for rookie Sydney Roosters
THE Roosters are giving away plenty of grand final experience to Melbourne but the players who have been their before know just what it takes on the season’s biggest day.
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FIVE years after Boyd Cordner’s first grand final week the star Roosters backrower is planning to do things a little differently the second time around.
Cordner played in the club’s 2013 premiership victory but wasn’t able to soak up the week as much as he would have liked.
After suffering an ankle injury in Round 22 against Canberra, Cordner spent eight weeks on the sidelines before returning to the starting side for the grand final against Manly.
While he was passed fit early in the week the injury played on his mind until game day.
Now there’s nothing clouding his vision as he attempts to lead the Roosters to victory over Melbourne on Sunday.
“I’ll be more relaxed during the week. It was a bit frantic with the ankle and wondering if I was going to play or not – I know I’m going to play now,” Cordner told The Daily Telegraph.
“It’s about relaxing, looking forward to the week ahead and enjoying it and once it gets a bit closer than start to focus in a bit more.”
Cordner, Daniel Tupou, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Mitchell Aubusson are the only players remaining from the team that beat Manly 26-18 and the quartet have the chance to join Anthony Minichiello as the only players to have won two premierships with the Roosters since the 1970s.
Five-eighth Luke Keary also has premiership experience after he helped Souths to the 2014 title while Cooper Cronk, if he’s passed fit, would be playing in his eighth grand final.
If Cronk is ruled out the club could have as many as 12 grand final debutants, in stark contrast to Melbourne who could have 14 of their 17 players from last year return.
Cordner believes the key is to stay calm while still appreciating the magnitude of the week and the task that lies ahead on Sunday.
“We’ve got such a big challenge ahead of us and a big 80 minutes,” Cordner said.
“It’s good to stay relaxed but you can’t be too relaxed.”
Waerea-Hargreaves created one of the indelible images of that grand final triumph when he beat his chest and roared to a legion of Roosters supporters following the fulltime siren.
He’s suiting up for his third grand final with the club after lining up in the 2010 loss to St George Illawarra.
“Those young guys keep it (the energy) going,” Waerea-Hargreaves told The Daily Telegraph.
“When they ask, it makes you relive those moments. It’s exciting. Those moments happened so long ago it feels like a lifetime ago.
“We’re going forward to try and re-live them again.”
The Kiwi veteran knows grand finals can sometimes be lost before a ball is kicked - with so much going on and so many commitments, keeping the same preperation as the entire year is vital.
“This is the reason why we play, to be in the position we are. You need to keep doing what you’ve been doing through the year and not let the external stuff get to you.
“Sunday, 7:30 you’ve still got to turn up with the right attitude, the right preparation and go in and play an 80 minute game of footy.”
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