‘This is the best team I’ve been in’: The attacking stats that can help the Roosters overcome awful record against the Storm
They’ve dazzled the league this season with their mesmerising attack, but the Roosters have one major thing they must tick off before they get to the finals.
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They’ve been the hottest attacking team in 2024, but the Roosters are desperate to claim a big scalp before the finals begin, with a perfect opportunity this weekend to go down to Melbourne to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss that ended their season.
The Roosters are in third spot, six points behind the ladder-leading Storm, and have blown sides off the park with four-straight wins before last week’s bye.
While they boast the best attacking record in the NRL this year, the only blemish on their resume is that they are 0-3 against the other top four teams having lost narrowly to the Storm, Panthers and Sharks by a combined 20 points.
Their record against Melbourne is particularly concerning having lost nine of their past 10 matches, including an 18-13 thriller in the second week of the finals last year, which is why they’d love to make a statement on Saturday night.
“It tests you to be able to go with the best,” versatile forward Nat Butcher said.
“We played them earlier in the year and we were pretty disappointed with how we played, but we’ve come a long way and I feel like we’re a new team now.
“They’ve been the benchmark this year – as well as Penrith for a number of years – but we haven’t got the results we wanted against those top teams, and we know that we’re going to need to do that before we get to the finals.
“Things are gelling in both attack and defence, and we’ve been working hard on that for a number of weeks. For that to come off, it’s looking really good and we’re happy with how it’s come off.”
The Roosters will be without inspirational prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for the next month, but they should start to get a few troops back from injury out wide to strengthen what’s already the slickest attack in the league.
Trent Robinson’s men average 30 points per game this season and have scored 40 or more points in six games already, including in each of their past two victories.
Butcher has played in some strong Roosters sides, with the famed Bondi Wall helping them win back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, but he’s never been a part of a squad that has the ability to score from anywhere on the field with such ease.
“Attacking wise, this is probably the best Roosters side I’ve played in,” he said.
“I was part of the ’18 and ’19 teams, and those teams prided themselves on defence. We’re still building our defence and we pride ourselves on that, but in terms of attack, this is the best team I’ve been in.”
Originally published as ‘This is the best team I’ve been in’: The attacking stats that can help the Roosters overcome awful record against the Storm
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