Roosters star Dominic Young facing the axe as damning defensive flaw exposed

The first casualty of the Roosters’ lacklustre Round 1 display against the Broncos could be star winger Dominic Young.

Roosters winger Dominic Young is understood to be on the chopping block after his defensive frailties were exposed in Round 1 by the Broncos.  

Young has made his name in the NRL as one of the premier wingers in the game.

He is a strong ball runner with excellent try-scoring ability, who is also a perfect target for cross-field kicks.

And despite the Roosters being blown off the park 50-14 on Thursday night, Young scored the Tri Colours only two tries.

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Therefore it would be fair to assume he is as safe as anyone in the Roosters side, right? Wrong.

The reality is the Englishman’s defensive lapses, poor reads and missed tackles cost the team a lot more than two tries on Friday night and it is an area opposition teams are sure to target moving forward.

The Broncos exposed him time and again throughout the match, with five of their nine tries coming down the right flank, where he either made a poor read, missed a tackle or both.

Young made six tackles and missed five in the match and even had a trip attempt that failed to connect, luckily for him.

You can watch his defensive horror show against the Broncos in the player above.

Dom Young's defensive frailties were exposed against Brisbane. Image: Getty

And after being badly exposed by the Broncos it would be no surprise to see him axed from the team, with Trent Robinson facing a much-needed selection headache.

Roosters debutants Robert Toia and Mark Nawaqanitawase were bright lights in an otherwise dull Tri Colours performance in Round 1 and have seemingly locked down their places in the side.

While winger Daniel Tupou was kept quiet by Brisbane but has long been one of the first names on the team sheet and it would be a shock to see that change anytime soon.

So if one player is to drop out it appears most likely to be Young, and the Roosters winger will be nervous as highly-touted young gun Billy Smith impressed in training on Sunday as he edges closer to a return from a hip injury.

The talented centre has had a horror run of injuries in his young career but is back training unencumbered as he nears a return to the field, with Round 2 a realistic possibility.

Sydney Roosters centre Billy Smith is working his way back to full fitness. Pic: Roosters Instagram

When asked about the return of the centre, Young told Code Sports: “He’s in all the reps now in training so he’s going to be ready to go soon, he’s in high spirits. I reckon he’ll be good to go soon.”

Ahead of Round 1 Roosters Trent Robinson said Smith should be ready to go for the clash against Penrith and it is understood he is a strong chance of being named at centre when team lists drop on Tuesday afternoon, with Nawaqanitawase pushed out to the wing, the position Robinson believes he is best suited to.

Nawaqanitawase played almost exclusively as a winger or fullback in rugby union before making the switch to NRL and is undoubtedly a stronger defender than Young.

And with a clash against Penrith looming you couldn’t blame Robinson for making a defensive-minded decision.

Meanwhile, in a positive update for Roosters fans and Robinson, Victor Radley completed a no-contact training session on the weekend ahead of their clash with the premiers on Friday.

While Radley will miss the Panthers game under the NRL’s concussion protocols, getting through his work eases concerns over his future in the sport following six concussions in the past three seasons.

Originally published as Roosters star Dominic Young facing the axe as damning defensive flaw exposed