To win an NRL title, it takes so much hard work and sacrifice from everyone involved in a club – but you also need luck. And on that score, the Roosters have run out of it.
I couldn’t believe what I was watching on Sunday when Sam Walker and Brandon Smith both went down with serious knee injuries, later diagnosed as ACL tears, and Victor Radley succumbed to a fractured shoulder.
They have no chance of winning the competition now, and I would even argue they’re a chance of bombing out of the finals in straight sets.
That might sound harsh, but I’m just not sure how the Roosters will attack now they’ve lost the flair of Walker, the ball playing skills of Radley and Smith’s running game. That’s no fault of their own, injuries can happen at any time. Unfortunately for them, they’ve copped rotten luck when they least needed it.
They will want to make a statement against South Sydney on Friday night, and I can see them getting the two points … just. But I’m not expecting them to mount a serious title charge with their injury list.
So, what about the other premiership threats? There are just so many questions about the teams in the top four at the moment.
In the past three weeks, Penrith have looked a little bit flat. I suspect they’re the only top four-team capable of beating the Storm. But if Nathan Cleary can’t stay on the field in the finals, then I’m writing off their chances too.
The Sharks? The jury is still out on whether they’re capable of winning the big games. When it comes to clinching the title, I can’t have them.
History will show you have to be in the top four to win a competition, but maybe this is the year when the trend is bucked. Outside the Storm – who are benefiting from Cameron Munster missing the State of Origin series – the other top-four teams all have major frailties heading into the finals.
That takes me to Manly.
I will preface this by saying they need Tom Trbojevic back on the field. If he can return in week one of the finals and manage the pain in his shoulder, they can do some serious damage in September. They have the big-game players in Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans, and they look like they have another gear.
As it stands, I think all roads lead to a Storm-Panthers grand final. But if there’s one team to upset the apple cart, watch out for the Sea Eagles
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I couldn’t believe what I was watching on Sunday when Sam Walker and Brandon Smith both went down with serious knee injuries, later diagnosed as ACL tears, and Victor Radley succumbed to a fractured shoulder.
They have no chance of winning the competition now, and I would even argue they’re a chance of bombing out of the finals in straight sets.
That might sound harsh, but I’m just not sure how the Roosters will attack now they’ve lost the flair of Walker, the ball playing skills of Radley and Smith’s running game. That’s no fault of their own, injuries can happen at any time. Unfortunately for them, they’ve copped rotten luck when they least needed it.
They will want to make a statement against South Sydney on Friday night, and I can see them getting the two points … just. But I’m not expecting them to mount a serious title charge with their injury list.
So, what about the other premiership threats? There are just so many questions about the teams in the top four at the moment.
In the past three weeks, Penrith have looked a little bit flat. I suspect they’re the only top four-team capable of beating the Storm. But if Nathan Cleary can’t stay on the field in the finals, then I’m writing off their chances too.
The Sharks? The jury is still out on whether they’re capable of winning the big games. When it comes to clinching the title, I can’t have them.
History will show you have to be in the top four to win a competition, but maybe this is the year when the trend is bucked. Outside the Storm – who are benefiting from Cameron Munster missing the State of Origin series – the other top-four teams all have major frailties heading into the finals.
That takes me to Manly.
I will preface this by saying they need Tom Trbojevic back on the field. If he can return in week one of the finals and manage the pain in his shoulder, they can do some serious damage in September. They have the big-game players in Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans, and they look like they have another gear.
As it stands, I think all roads lead to a Storm-Panthers grand final. But if there’s one team to upset the apple cart, watch out for the Sea Eagles
Can’t win the NRL title outside the top four? If it’s ever going to happen, Manly is the team
I’ve put the red pen through the Roosters after their horror injury run and the Panthers don’t seem quite right. This might be the year when NRL history gets turned on its head.
