‘What’s going on?’: The 2018 lessons that can help the new-look Roosters challenge for a title next year
It took the Roosters’ two biggest signings in 2018 a couple of months to gel. By the end of 2019, they’d won two titles. Now, history has the chance to repeat.
The last time the Roosters brought in two superstars to shake up the spine resulted in back-to-back premierships, and it’s why skipper James Tedesco won’t be worried if it “takes time” for their combinations to click into gear.
Tedesco was one of those big-name signings in 2018 along with Storm veteran Cooper Cronk, with the pair not only leading the Tricolours to premiership glory, but they also helped end the hoodoo of sides going on to defend their title.
There’s a similar feeling in town heading into the 2026 season with legendary Sea Eagles halfback Daly Cherry-Evans joining the club, while the Roosters have also signed NSW hooker Reece Robson.
Cronk played 323 games for the Storm before he made the big move, with Cherry-Evans logging 352 appearances for Manly to go with a stack of rep footy.
He’ll form a potent halves combination with young gun Sam Walker – even if we don’t know who will wear the No.7 jersey – with all eyes on how their all-star backline fires with a new-look spine.
It took them a while to get going in 2018 with only four teams scoring fewer points than them across the first eight rounds, but they ended the season as the minor premiers with the fourth-best attack on their way to grand final glory.
“It takes time,” Tedesco said, with the Roosters held to four single-digit scores in the first eight games in 2018.
“I remember back in 2018 in our first eight weeks, I think we were 4-4 and looking around going ‘what’s going on?’
“I remember back then for ‘Coops’, it was a matter of sticking to the process, keep working hard at training, and then it will turn.
“Ideally, you want it to happen fast and you want it to click straight away, but you need to have patience.
“We know we’ve got such quality players in ‘Chez’ (Cherry-Evans) and Reece Robson coming in and they’re going to add great value to our team, so it’s about working hard throughout the pre-season to make sure those combinations click as fast as possible.
“Then we have to execute that in games.”
While there are a couple of fresh faces, Tedesco is still there to lead from the front on the back of his second Dally M Medal.
The veteran fullback recently inked a one-year extension and is playing as well as ever, with Tedesco turning down the chance to be part of the Kangaroos squad for the Ashes tour due to his brother’s wedding and stem-cell treatment on his knee.
“I feel like I’m just doing what I’ve been doing,” he said, with the Roosters looking to go deep after they were eliminated in the first week of the finals.
“I guess people say that as you get older your performance can decrease, but I still feel like I was when I was in my 20s and I’m doing everything I can to stay at the peak of my powers. That won’t change over the next couple of years.
“Coming off a great year, I still feel like my best footy is still in front of me. That’s exciting for me to get to work, especially with our new combinations and our new players.”
Originally published as ‘What’s going on?’: The 2018 lessons that can help the new-look Roosters challenge for a title next year
