James Tedesco has delivered a damning assessment of the Roosters’ faltering attack, accusing them of waiting for individuals to come up with big plays and warning they have little time to fix a lack of connection before the State of Origin period.
As Trent Robinson’s star-studded side licked their wounds after a Magic Round humbling at the hands of the Cowboys, Tedesco’s blunt appraisal of the pre-season premiership favourites comes with only North Queensland and the Tigers scoring fewer points per game this season.
It’s an unbelievable statistic for a team which features Tedesco, Joseph Manu, Luke Keary, Joseph Suaalii, Brandon Smith and Victor Radley, but underlines the struggle for the Roosters (17 points per game). The Cowboys (16.5) and Tigers (15.1) are the only teams who have a worse attack.
While Tedesco assured fans the Keary-Manu halves pairing would come good, he took aim at the team dodging effort areas like support runs in a wipeout against the Cowboys in Brisbane.
“Our support and our effort areas around the ball is as low as I’ve seen,” Tedesco said. “Our push around the ball, our connection as a spine especially, it’s just not there at the moment. We are working on it.
“Thirteen of us moving in space, short passes, high supports. That’s been our footy for a long time now, but it’s just not there.
Roosters five-eighth Joseph Manu is tackled by Scott Drinkwater.Credit: Getty
“Look at our team, we have a lot of great individual players. It’s sort of sitting back waiting for individuals to do something [at the moment] and when we’re at our best, everyone’s moving for each other.”
Robinson dropped Sam Walker for the Anzac Day win over the Dragons and scratched him from the Roosters’ NSW Cup clash on the weekend to be with the NRL squad in Brisbane.
Walker’s path back to the top grade might be a slow one, and the Roosters have little time to cure their attacking ills with a clash against two-time defending premiers Penrith at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night.
Asked about the halves, Tedesco said: “It’s been a change, obviously with Brandon as well [at hooker], it took time to get you used to him. And then we got Joey come in.
“I feel like it’s a work in progress, but I’m enjoying playing with Joey in the halves. Luke enjoys steering the team around, but he needs to get his instincts up and play footy. It’s a work in progress, but I’m enjoying having Joey in there and I feel like it’s going to keep getting better and better.
“It’s pretty much no talent required areas [which need to be better], and once we do that for each other, big moments will come off. Suaalii will start getting some ball, Joey will start coming up with something.
“We just can’t be waiting for it every play. That’s what we were guilty of [against the Cowboys].”
Roosters hardman Radley questioned his side’s physicality against the Cowboys, but relished the chance to turn it around in the toughest away trip in the NRL. The Panthers have won their last six games against the Roosters stretching back to 2020.
“We weren’t up for the game [against the Cowboys] like they were and that’s the hardest thing about it, losing when they were more physical and more up for the game,” Radley said. “We’re grown men and we’ve got to go and have a pop.”
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