‘You can’t try to be a superstar’: James Tedesco hopes to break free after frustrating month with the Roosters

James Tedesco silenced his critics with a stunning second half against the Dragons, but that doesn’t mask the issues the Roosters are going through.

James Tedesco silenced his critics last week but has warned his star teammates that history means nothing going into the Origin opener. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Selection talk leading into the State of Origin series opener always throws up some wild takes, but this year may have provided the craziest call with some people suggesting Dylan Edwards should replace Blues skipper James Tedesco.

Edwards has been one of the most solid players in the NRL for the past few years and would no doubt excel in the Origin arena, but like so many other quality players, he has to bide his time with Tedesco irreplaceable at the back.

By his own admission, Tedesco’s form hasn’t been perfect this season for the Roosters, but the same can be said for a lot of his teammates, which is why they’ve lost three on the trot and boast the league’s worst attack.

The Roosters are outside the top eight with the form and fitness of some of their top players a concern heading into Origin. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Any questions over Tedesco’s selection were emphatically put to bed on Friday night when he scored two tries and almost dragged his side over the line, only for the Dragons to score at the death.

The Roosters haven’t helped themselves with their poor discipline in 2022, and time is running out for the pre-season favourites to get cracking with the heat on their big guns to start firing.

“I felt like we deserved to win that game against the Dragons, so the loss in the last second was pretty heartbreaking,” Tedesco said.

“I thought the first half wasn’t great, but the second half was a real step forward for us.

“We’ve been working really hard and I think people can see the effort, care and passion we have to win, but we’re not helping ourselves with simple errors that really hurt us.

“There’s still a lot of belief and we know that we’re not far off because we showed we can do it earlier in the year. At the moment we’ve got a few guys who are a bit low on confidence and there’s some disconnect in what we’re doing.”

Tedesco is coming off his best 40 minutes of the season when he scored two tries and set up another. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Tedesco’s numbers remain solid but they are well down on what he’s produced in the past, with the World Cup winner averaging the fewest metres per game since 2016 when he was the Wests Tigers’ main man in attack.

It’s looked at times like he’s in a similar position to back then when he felt the need to overplay his hand to try to generate something in attack, but it hasn’t led to tries with his score involvements way down on previous years.

“It’s just a product of how the team is going,” Tedesco said, comparing his side’s struggles to how Tom Trbojevic has been going at the Sea Eagles.

“When the team’s not going well and you’re a key player, it’s hard to create something when there’s no momentum or a quick ruck. That’s probably what Turbo has been going through a bit as well.

“You saw in the second half last week that the boys were going forward which allowed me to play off the back of that.

“You can’t try to be a superstar when the team is on the back foot the whole time. That’s the focus for me. Once we start playing good footy then my footy will come off the back of that.”

Tom Trbojevic was the player of the series in 2021, but the Blues can’t just assume he’ll do everything again this year. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The Origin series could be just what Tedesco needs with Queensland’s focus spread across countless NSW stars.

That starts with Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell, who were unstoppable in 2021 but missed last year’s series through injury.

The Blues probably would have won with them in the side last year, but Tedesco says his side can’t just assume the pair will flip the result, with his experiences at the Roosters this year a reminder that superstars don’t always equal success.

“Those two are two of the top players in the world so they’re going to help any team,” the veteran fullback said.

“We can’t just expect them to come in and score tries. We’ve got to work hard for it in the middle and give them space and time to attack.

“Having those two guys out wide is going to be dangerous and it’s great for our attack. We’ve just got to get their hands on the ball as much as possible.

“There’s a lot more fatigue in Origin because there are fewer stoppages, and that means there will be heaps of opportunities for them.”

Originally published as ‘You can’t try to be a superstar’: James Tedesco hopes to break free after frustrating month with the Roosters