All eyes on Robinson with Roosters set to slide down pecking order, putting playoff streak in jeopardy

There is no doubt that Trent Robinson is one of the very best coaches in the NRL and this year is his chance to prove that he should be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. 

The Roosters appear to be on a hiding to nothing in 2025 but if they can challenge for the top four, it will reinforce Robinson’s reputation nearly as much as the three premiership rings in his collection.

They have lost several stars who have accepted deals elsewhere as well as their most important player in Sam Walker for at least half the season – throw in the absence of Brandon Smith, who has also been struck down by a serious knee injury that will likely keep him out for the entire season, and it adds up to expectations being as low as they’ve ever been during Robinson’s long tenure in Sydney’s east. 

It’s unwise to write the Roosters off, particularly when they still have several representative quality players on their roster, headlined by James Tedesco at fullback, props Spencer Leniu and Lindsay Collins, Angus Crichton and Victor Radley in the back row, Connor Watson at hooker, and potent finishers on the wing in Daniel Tupou and Dominic Young.

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However, their depth and overall strike power is not what it has been during Robinson’s reign, which took them to premierships in his rookie season of 2013, plus the Cooper Cronk-inspired 2018 and 2019 triumphs.

The Tricolors are no longer considered sure things to make the playoffs, let alone be in contention for the title and while this is the most depleted roster that Robinson has overseen, he has shown in the past that he can work his magic even without his top-line talent. 

They made the second round of the 2021 playoffs when they endured a horror injury run, which led to the premature retirements of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and Brett Morris with Luke Keary, Lindsay Collins and Joey Manu all sidelined long term.

The loss of Keary and veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in the off-season will not be crippling blows as they are both at the end of their careers and cashing in their superannuation check in the Super League.

But the Roosters don’t have ready-made replacements for centres Joey Manu and Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii, and Walker’s absence as their on-field general leaves them with a makeshift pairing of ex-Cowboys playmaker Chad Townsend and Sandon Smith, who is still learning the ropes after 30 games in the NRL, to guide the team around the park.

The Roosters have endured tribulations in the trials, with Smith and Townsend failing to make their mark, and whether that clunkiness translates into the regular season remains to be seen, but any halves duo will struggle if the pack is not dominating and the back five are not getting sets off to solid starts. 

Former Wallabies winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has shown promise at centre and he has the passing skills to be an effective link player out wide, but he has just one first-grade game on his resume and his likely centre partner for Thursday’s season opener against Brisbane, Robert Toia, will be making his debut. 

Robinson has appeared flustered more so than usual in the past couple of seasons as the Roosters have regressed from rolled gold premiership contenders to outsiders looking in at the Panthers becoming the kings of the NRL jungle on their way to four straight premierships.

Mark Nawaqanitawase on the run at Accor Stadium. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

The Roosters have been a highly competent outfit but they haven’t been a great one, which is reflected in the fact that they have lost the 10 encounters with Penrith and 10 of their 11 clashes with Melbourne this decade, culminating in their 48-18 prelim final thumping last September.

When you are a good but not great team you either need to take a step back and invest in young talent or make a big splash in free agency. 

The Roosters are renowned for keeping their cards close to their chest but they will have money to spend following Brandon Smith’s departure at season’s end on top of their other recent high-profile departures. 

Cooper Cronk fell into their lap eight years ago when the Storm star made a surprise exit to live in Sydney for personal reasons – it’s much harder these days to pry an elite player from a rival club but the Roosters will keep the salary cap room up their sleeve to pounce when the opportunity presents itself.

It’s unusual over the course of premiership history for coaches to remain at the one club for more than a decade, but Robinson is one of four current mentors who have achieved that feat along with Wayne Bennett, who was at the helm of the Broncos for their first 21 years in the competition, Craig Bellamy entering his 24th season at the Storm and Ricky Stuart starting his 12th at the Raiders. 

A few years from now, will Robinson think that he has spent too long at the one destination or will his unerring belief in what he calls The Roosters Way pay off when they hit the heights again in the cyclical nature of rugby league performance. 

They have managed to remain a perennial playoff team while most other clubs have endured peaks and troughs in Robinson’s time at the helm.

The only time they missed the finals was in 2016 when Mitchell Pearce’s lengthy suspension for pre-season misdemeanours derailed their season.

They did not see him in the No.7 jersey until Round 9 that year and by that stage they were in last spot with a 1-8 record.

Sam Walker is carried off the ground. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

This time round due to a knee injury, their chief playmaker in Walker will be on the sidelines until midway through the season. 

An ACL tear is a cruel blow any time but it could not have come at a worse time for the Roosters and the 22-year-old playmaker.

Walker was in career-best form last season as he guided the Roosters into the playoff equation and if injury had not struck, there is a fair chance he would have been supplanting Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland halfback at Origin level. 

The Manly veteran has indicated that he will go around again for one more season with the Maroons but it is only a matter of time before Walker claims their long-term skipper’s starting spot. 

The Roosters team for Thursday’s Allianz Stadium showdown with Brisbane will be filled with several players with only a sprinkling of NRL experience.

This is when coaches earn their keep when the roster is not as strong and gambles are taken on untried talent. 

Young forward Siua Wong this time last year was considered a building block for the future at the Roosters but he spent a considerable time in NSW Cup after failing to fire.

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After the club curiously released Terrell May to the Wests Tigers in the off-season they need Wong and the likes of Blake Steep and brothers De La Salle and Xavier Va’a to find their feet at the top level so that they are not totally reliant on their seasoned campaigners in the middle. 

Robinson’s hopes of an early-season surge have taken a hit with Leniu banned for the first two games for a high shot on Phoenix Crossland in their trial loss to Newcastle, the second of two worrying defeats in the pre-season which have only given their critics more ammunition that this season could be the one where their playoff streak comes to an end.

A career coach, Robinson is under contract at the Roosters until the end of 2028 and it’s clear his plan is to ride out the lows so he can experience the highs again.