NRL 2024: Trent Robinson looking to end streak of eight straight losses to Ivan Cleary’s Penrith Panthers
Ivan Cleary has had Trent Robinson’s number for eight straight games over the last four years. With a depleted Penrith side though, now is Robinson’s best chance to end his side’s hoodoo.
Ivan Cleary has the wood on Trent Robinson. Has had for four years and counting, a period in which Penrith have owned the Sydney Roosters.
It’s been one-way traffic highlighted by eight successive wins and a couple of thrashings, including one last year at Penrith where the Panthers ran riot against their eastern suburbs rivals.
The Panthers haven’t just won either, they have dominated, a point not lost on Robinson on Wednesday as he looked ahead to Thursday night’s match against Penrith at Allianz Stadium.
The Roosters coach, himself a three-time premiership winner, is one of the best in the business but acknowledges his side have failed to aim up against their red-hot rivals.
And while he made a point of saying in his pre-match press briefing that this version of the Roosters is a different side, the proof will ultimately be in the performance.
“There is motivation about what we are trying to do this year,” Robinson said.
“There is focus about what we want to get out of ourselves. We haven’t performed how we want against this team.
“They’re coming to our home and we want to perform better. So that motivation is really clear for us. We’re a slightly different team and we need to keep proving that.”
The Roosters may not get a better chance to end their hoodoo against Penrith given Panthers talisman Nathan Cleary is sidelined along with powerful prop James Fisher-Harris and back rower Scott Sorensen.
Cleary’s absence has pushed Brad Schneider into the spotlight, although five-eighth Jarome Luai is more likely to take ownership of the team.
The Roosters are also coming off one of their better performances – they put nearly 50 on their bitter rivals South Sydney a week ago in a show of strength ahead of their clash against the reigning premiers.
“Their system will be the same,” Robinson said.
“When players in the past (have come in) – (Jack) Cogger, Sean O’Sullivan – they run the same system. I don’t expect anything different there.
“Nathan is arguably the best player in the game – arguably may not be the word. But a system is still a system, a jersey is still a jersey.”
The Roosters should be strengthened by the return of five-eighth Luke Keary but halfback Sam Walker will be the man to watch for Penrith given his stellar start to the year.
Walker has been compared with Allan Langer for his short kicking game and Robinson was quick to dismiss suggestions it had anything to do with last year, when he made the difficult decision to drop the gifted No.7.
“He has had that since he was a kid,” Robinson said.
“He does that every day at training. He is always looking for space wherever it is. He has been doing that ever since he arrived here.
“He has been short kicking for tries his whole life. It is rare the way he moves and kicks.”
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