Roosters skipper James Tedesco can’t see too many changes to his game from when he won the Dally M Medal six years ago, but his coach has gone all in on the fullback after a stunning season that will likely end in another top gong.
Tedesco’s 2019 season was the stuff of legend as he won the Dally, the Wally Lewis Medal, the Brad Fittler Medal as well as the NRL premiership and the State of Origin series where he scored the winning tries in both the grand final and the game 3 decider.
He scored 18 tries that year – including one in each of his side’s three finals matches – with the rep star finishing three votes clear of future Immortal Cameron Smith to claim the sport’s top individual prize.
Tedesco was a running machine and a terrific support player, with those traits usually dropping off when you turn 32.
But they’ve remained steady, with the champion fullback adding new strings to his bow with an extra 11 try assists this year compared with 2019, while he’s had 16 more line-break assists while always being there to support a break.
“He’s been playing amazing footy year on year for the Roosters and at all levels. He’s the best ruck fullback in the game,” Trent Robinson declared after Tedesco set up four tries and produced a fabulous flick pass in last week’s win over Souths.
“He’s changed the way that fullbacks attack the ruck and the way they address the line, and then he also plays the traditional fullback (role) that everyone else is playing, which is the combination plays, and he’s nailing them.
“It’s really hard to find someone with the balance between a system-type player and then an instinctive, intuitive, freedom type player at the same time.
“Usually the intuitive player doesn’t want to work and says ‘don’t touch me, let me do my thing’, whereas Ted does all the work and works harder than anybody else, runs the system, believes in it and then has the ability to move to the intuition and freedom on the back of it.
“It’s an incredible balance to do both.”
People were starting to write Tedesco off after he lost the NSW and Australia fullback spots to Dylan Edwards, but there are now calls for him to win back his jersey for the upcoming Ashes tour.
A deep run in the finals from outside the top four would add fuel to the fire, but the man himself insists he’s still the same player he was back in 2019 when he torched the rest of the competition.
“I don’t think my game has changed too much. A lot of people are talking about it, but I don’t feel like it’s changed too much,” he said ahead of Saturday’s elimination final against the Sharks.
“Over my whole career I feel like I’ve stayed pretty consistent. There are some awards and accolades that come over the years (but I feel like I’m playing the same).
“People probably think ‘he’s getting older and not playing rep footy so he’s going to fall off a bit’, but my preparation is still the same as it was 10 years ago and I’m really diligent with that every week.
“I think my biggest asset is staying on the field and staying healthy. I’ve learnt to look after my body physically and mentally so I’m being fresh going into every game and the body feels right.”
Originally published as ‘He’s the best ruck fullback’: James Tedesco set to claim second Dally M Medal