NRL 2022: Sam Verrills’ future at Sydney Roosters is under a huge cloud
Sam Verrills’ NRL future is under a cloud as his agent concedes “we can’t say for certain what will happen next year”.
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It’s the elephant in the room that nobody at the Sydney Roosters has spoken about.
Yet Sam Verrills’ future at the club remains under a huge cloud in the wake of Brandon Smith’s signing for 2023, with his agent conceding “we can’t say for certain what will happen next year”.
This is despite Trent Robinson declaring this week in The Daily Telegraph’s exclusive Coach’s Clipboard series that Verrills would be his starting dummy half this season.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ COACH’S CLIPBOARD WITH TRENT ROBINSON
But even though Verrills remains signed until the end of 2024, it is hard to see why he would want to stay and play second fiddle to Smith who has made it clear he wants to play dummy half permanently.
After biding his time patiently behind Jake Friend in recent seasons, Verrills had been viewed as Friend’s obvious long-term replacement.
That was until he had his world turned upside down in the countdown to Christmas when the Roosters went hard for off-contract Melbourne star Smith.
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Asked if Verrills was now on the lookout for a new home, his agent Steve Gillis was adamant there had been no contact with rival clubs.
“His job is to do as well as he can pre-season, trial well, make the team and play well, everything else will fall into place,” Gillis said.
“There is no time frame.”
Told it would be only human for Verrills to be feeling disappointed, Gillis continued: “Things change. We can’t say for certain what will happen next year. So there is no point us worrying about it. He has just got to do his job.”
If Verrills was to ask for permission to negotiate with rival clubs he’d no doubt have a pick of clubs interested.
The obvious option would be Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, although Verrills’ former club Manly could also be a good fit if Manase Fainu doesn’t get a clearance to return.
“I haven’t even looked at them,” Gillis stressed. “His focus is to get into that team and play well and everything else will sort itself out.”
Verrills, 23, has long been touted as a future rep player, but has had to overcome some early setbacks.
After tearing his ACL in 2020, he suffered a detached retina last season before he really started to find his running game late in the year.
“Mate, he is a bloody good footballer, potential Origin material,” Gillis added. “A premiership winner at age 20, scored a try in a grand final, ticks plenty of boxes, and he is a terrific fella.
“He is a pro. He is not one of these type of players who is in a rush. He knows what he has to do. He has to go out and do his job.”
COACH’S CLIPBOARD: COULD LESS BE MORE FOR TEDESCO?
By James Phelps
Roosters coach Trent Robinson hopes his players have learnt a valuable lesson from their difficult season last year and will be a much stronger force in 2022.
It was a very difficult season last year with injuries and forced retirements. Will the adversities they faced helped the team this year?
A lot was made about the players we had unavailable at different stages of the season, but on the flip side of that, it gave some of the younger members of our squad an opportunity to step up and learn some important lessons about the NRL and our style of footy.
Every season is different, but it’s about taking your lessons and being better.
We’ve been laying our foundations for the 2022 season for a few months now, and whether you’ve played half a dozen games or 250 games, it’s about turning up and building on your principles every day.
Are all the troops back on deck?
We’ve had the majority of the squad back since early January.
Do you think the time out will have helped or hindered Luke Keary? Knowing the student Luke is, I am presuming he would have learnt a thing or two by being able to observe from a distance?
Kez is a footy nerd. He wasn’t up in the bubble last year, and being away from the team while he focused on his rehab gave him the time and opportunity to take a more holistic view of the game, be clear on his influence and the major skills needed in his role.
Who is leading the race to play No.9 this year?
Sam Verrills is our No.9.
You have obviously lost a wealth of experience. Which players will step into leadership roles this year?
James is entering his second year as our captain. He has always led with his actions on the field and he’s developing his voice off the field strongly. Together with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke, they’re our senior leaders, and they have been for a few years now.
Guys like Daniel Tupou, Joey Manu, Siua Taukeiaho, Lindsay Collins, Nat Butcher, Angus Crichton, Victor Radley, Sitili Tupouniua, they’re also leaders in their own right and I’ve been enjoying watching the leader in them come to the fore, whether it be by setting the tone at training, our standards around the club, or mentoring the younger players coming through.
Some have suggested Joey Manu may make the move to No.6 this year. Are you planning on using him in the halves?
Joey is a centre, but his ability to play more than one position and get his hands on the ball is how we want him to play.
What role will Sam Walker play in the team this year?
Sam is a half and he’ll continue to develop his skills to make the most of his ability.
James Tedesco seemed to pop up everywhere and anywhere last year. Will his role change now that Luke Keary is back?
Teddy’s ability to play first receiver will benefit from Luke’s return.
There’s a great understanding and communication between them and with Luke being back, it will give Teddy options to play first or second receiver, or support player, on a more regular basis.
Are you expecting Covid to be an issue throughout the pre-season and what is the plan to lessen its impact?
We returned from the Christmas break with around 75 per cent of our squad off either with Covid or as a close contact. I’m sure there were similar stats across the game.
We’ve adapted as we’ve had to, and that will continue to be the case.
Do you think squad sizes need to be increased to provide cover?
We’ve seen with sports around the world the impact Covid can have on a team and the importance of being able to call on cover within a squad.
I definitely think we need to look at it. The ability to use players outside the top 30 in Round 1 might be a necessity for clubs depending on the Covid situation.
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