SMH <\/a>reported this week that the Roosters aren\u2019t happy with the way their finals timetable has turned out. <\/p>\nWith the NRL keen to avoid the AFL grand final this Saturday, the Roosters will play the Dolphins in Brisbane on Friday night, six days after the Chooks eliminated Cronulla at home.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the first time in 15 years that a club has had to play two straight finals games off six-day spells. <\/p>\n
On the flip side, the Roosters will have two days\u2019 extra rest than their grand final opponent IF they beat the Dolphins this weekend.<\/p>\n
Still, it appears the club would\u2019ve loved a little more of a reprieve between taxing finals games, especially given their star half Sam Walker is racing the clock to make a remarkable return from a syndesmosis injury he suffered not even four weeks ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are reports that the Roosters are privately fuming with another six-day turnaround. Is it a problem or issue?\u201d former Roosters star Braith Anasta put to the NRL360 panel on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the first time it\u2019s ever happened in 15 years. Whether they change anything, it is unusual. It hasn\u2019t happened for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s finals time. What do you do, forfeit?\u201d journalist Paul Crawley replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might never have happened before, I\u2019m not sure, with these six day turnarounds but it is what it is. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I see these sort of stories I see it a little bit like when Origin is on, Queensland come up with an injury. A red herring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Daily Telegraph\u2019s Dave Riccio noted that six-day turnarounds are commonplace during the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re about to watch three of the great injury comebacks to get onto a football field. Not just Sam Walker but Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary. As far as recovering froma game, six days is fair enough,\u201d Riccio said on NRL360.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you do? It happens in season. I appreciate what\u2019s on the line but it happens in season.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cComplaining is going to get you nowhere at this time of the year,\u201d Anasta added.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Roosters are reportedly miffed at playing two straight finals off six-day breaks.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
WHY CLEARY CHAOS COULD LEAD TO LATE PANTHERS SWITCH<\/p>\n
The Panthers made a curious decision to name Jack Cole as five-eighth alongside Nathan Cleary for this weekend\u2019s final against the Knights.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that Cleary isn\u2019t at 100% after suffering a foot injury a fortnight ago and for that reason, NRL360 host Braith Anasta believes Penrith will pull a late line up switch before kick off.<\/p>\n
Cleary is expected to play through the pain of a stress-related bone issue in his foot but it\u2019s going to limit him.<\/p>\n
His kicking especially will suffer, which is why Anasta says all roads point to Jack Cogger being parachuted into the line up at the expense of Cole. <\/p>\n
\u201cCogger is on the bench, do we think this happens or do Penrith make a late change? I think it sets up for a late change,\u201d Anasta said before detailing why.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know the severity of it (Cleary\u2019s injury) so it\u2019s hard to talk about it. I\u2019ve played with a stress fracture and it\u2019s not good. It\u2019s hard to kick and it\u2019s painful.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very irritating and painful and it could definitely impact the goalkicking or any kicking in general. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s right on the navicular (bone), which is the top of your foot where you kick the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to journalist Dave Riccio, Cleary and the Panthers are pulling out all the stops in order to improve his condition before kick off. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line is he\u2019s been undergoing 24\/7 intense physio, hyperbaric chambers hardly any running and deloading as much as he can.<\/p>\n
However, Anasta wonders if it\u2019ll be of much help given the \u201cirritating\u201d nature of the injury. <\/p>\n
\u201cA stress fracture in the foot takes time. Physio does nothing. I\u2019m telling you, he may be a tiny bit better than he was but it\u2019s something that doesn\u2019t get better for a month or two. It\u2019s annoying and irritating,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCleary won\u2019t be kicking as much as he normally does \u2026 and there\u2019s a genuine chance that Nathan doesn\u2019t finish the game,\u201d Riccio responded.<\/p>\n
Cleary does a lot of things well and if he isn\u2019t at 100%, it\u2019s a big blow for Penrith. <\/p>\n
However, Cogger can relieve some of the kicking pressure off Cleary in a way that Cole can\u2019t. <\/p>\n
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters believes Cogger\u2019s skillset will benefit Penrith greatly if Cleary is limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis experience having played with Nathan at the big end of the season game is a big help,\u201d Walters said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a huge bonus. He\u2019s obviously a very talented player, and the long-range kicking game is part of his skill set, so that\u2019ll be required. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure how Nathan\u2019s foot is how much kicking he can do, but it\u2019s always very advantageous for teams when you\u2019ve got two good kickers of the ball. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge advantage for the Panthers to have that on their side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleary cleared for prelim | 00:31<\/p>\n
IS SAM WALKER A RISK AGAINST THE DOLPHINS\u2019 SPEED?<\/p>\n
Trent Robinson has wasted no time installing Sam Walker into the starting side for this week\u2019s preliminary final against the Dolphins, but is he a risk?<\/p>\n
Walker looks to have completed a miracle recovery from syndesmosis surgery. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s come back just four weeks after injuring the ankle against the Dolphins.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the equal fastest time a player has made a comeback from the injury, which often takes at least 10 weeks to fully recover from.<\/p>\n
But has Walker been rushed back too early?<\/p>\n
Could he be a liability in a game that\u2019s expected to be full of intensity and speed?<\/p>\n
The Dolphins are stacked with players that keep you on your toes.<\/p>\n
Will Walker be able to move well enough to stop the likes of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jamayne Isaako, Jack Bostock, Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo when they\u2019re in full flight?<\/p>\n
The panel on NRL 360 discussed Walker\u2019s probable inclusion in the team earlier in the week and journalist Dean Ritchie backed Walker\u2019s recall, arguing the Roosters\u2019 rehab \u201cis the best in the game\u201d and that Walker won\u2019t be back unless he\u2019s 100 per cent fit.<\/p>\n
Fellow journalist Brent Read said the Roosters wouldn\u2019t name Walker unless they were certain he could handle the pace of a high-stakes preliminary final. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Roosters are pretty sensible in the way they go about treating injuries. I don\u2019t imagine they\u2019ll rush him in. They don\u2019t have to rush him back in, do they? The way they played on the weekend they don\u2019t have to race him back into the side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Read was adamant that the Roosters couldn\u2019t win the title once Walker went down injured and they lost four-straight without him before last week\u2019s win over Cronulla.<\/p>\n
But the Dolphins are going much better than the Sharks and Read believes Walker\u2019s inclusion is a must if the men from Bondi are to progress to the grand final.<\/p>\n
Is it a risk from the Roosters bringing Sam Walker back so soon?Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cI would rush him back because he\u2019s that good of a footballer. You\u2019re talking about a bloke you\u2019re willing to pay $1.2 million a year to. Those sort of guys you bring straight in,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n
Walker\u2019s inclusion in the starting side, however, has forced last week\u2019s five-eighth Hugo Savala to the interchange bench.<\/p>\n
Speaking on NRL Tonight this week, former Test prop Steve Roach believes Robinson should keep Savala in the starting side and allow Walker to come on when a bit of pace comes out of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d play him off the bench. I always look at the team I\u2019m playing against. They have got strike, the Dolphins. I think Savala is a better defender,\u201d Roach said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would start with him. I wouldn\u2019t muck the side around. If he\u2019s fit to play, I\u2019d start Walker off the bench.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many were surprised when teams came out of Tuesday afternoon to see Savala on the bench and not back in the centres.<\/p>\n
Robinson has kept Billy Smith in the No. 3 jersey which means he\u2019ll likely mark NSW Origin outside back Jack Bostock, who is having a career season at the Dolphins. <\/p>\n
Host Braith Anasta said on NRL 360 that it\u2019s something the Dolphins might try and exploit. <\/p>\n
\u201cBilly worries me in defence. He\u2019s been caught out a couple of times in the last few weeks,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does have an error in him and a high shot as well. I don\u2019t want to take too much away from Billy because he\u2019s done a great job when he\u2019s been there, but I think Savala would be better, safer, more reliable and he deserves it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ritchie, however, backed Robinson to let Smith play in his preferred position.<\/p>\n
Savala\u2019s first choice spot in the halves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think Billy is a pure centre whereas Hugo is a manufactured centre. That\u2019s my only concern,\u201d Ritchie said. <\/p>\n
“One thing they do when they win a comp” | 07:36<\/p>\n
TWO THINGS BARGAIN BUY SMITH NEEDS TO IMPROVE AGAINST PENRITH<\/p>\n
Sandon Smith has been a revelation at the Knights and despite not getting the limelight that another back-up halfback has been getting, he\u2019s an equal chance to get to a grand final.<\/p>\n
Daly Cherry-Evans has been getting all the headlines filling in for Sam Walker at No. 7 for the Roosters, but Smith has also taken over from his team\u2019s first-choice half Dylan Brown.<\/p>\n
Since the $13 million signing Brown went down with an ACL injury in Round 21, Smith has taken over the running of the team and while he\u2019s on decent money ($500,000 a season), he\u2019s playing a role reserved for a player on much more.<\/p>\n
Perth Bears assistant coach Ben Gardiner spoke on NRL Tonight this week and had nothing but praise for Smith, saying he has been showing all the composure you\u2019d like to see out of a halfback. <\/p>\n
Gardiner loved the way Smith not only directed traffic on the win over the Warriors on Sunday, but put his body on the line against the big boppers late in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been an amazing buy. I think one of the great things about Sandon was his defensive game was really on. His goalkicking won the game \u2026 one from almost the sideline. But it was his defensive effort that really cut it for me. He really stood up in that area. It hasn\u2019t been his best thing all year but he really stood up in the big games,\u201d Gardiner said.<\/p>\n
But the test is about to get tougher for Smith.<\/p>\n
The underrated Sandon Smith has been a crucial cog to the Knights\u2019 success this season.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
This weekend when he runs out against the Panthers, he\u2019ll take on the world\u2019s best halfback in Nathan Cleary.<\/p>\n
The four-time premiership-winner often kills opposition teams with his boot, strangling them and not giving them any clear air as they work the ball out of their own end.<\/p>\n
Gardiner says Smith needs to put more pressure on the Penrith back three this week if the Knights are to defend their try line at the opposite end of the field. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think for them to compete this week against the Panthers they really need to nail the depth of the kicking game,\u201d Gardiner said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really felt kicks were coming down around the 15 or 20-metre mark (against the Warriors). They weren\u2019t playing that territory game that they should have been playing and I think to win the game this weekend they really need to nail it into the corner so they can back their defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, former Knights coach Michael Hagan told foxsports.com.au that Brown\u2019s injury in Round 21 gave Smith enough time to work on his game at halfback.<\/p>\n
\u201cSandon Smith is more than capable of running the team. I think he\u2019s been quite instrumental,\u201d Hagan said.<\/p>\n
Smith also needs to run the ball more against Penrith. He only had four runs last week for 32 metres.<\/p>\n
‘Closest we’ve been to our community’ | 03:38<\/p>\n
THE WOOLF FACTOR<\/p>\n
There is little doubt Kristian Woolf has exceeded expectations since taking charge of the Dolphins.<\/p>\n
And former NRL star Tim Mannah believes the signs were there long before he arrived in the NRL to take over from Wayne Bennett.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Fox League\u2019s NRL Tonight, Mannah revealed he had heard glowing reports about Woolf from a number of Tongan players – the national team he coaches – with the respect they had for him immediately standing out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember speaking to the Tongan boys early on, before Kristian came to the NRL scene and the respect and the way they spoke about him,\u201d Mannah said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t heard many coaches spoken of like that, so I always kept an eye on him because I knew he would go places. He\u2019s really delivered on the expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
That belief has been vindicated by what Woolf has been able to achieve at the Dolphins who are now one victory away from reaching their maiden grand final.<\/p>\n
And they have done it without boasting the same star power as the other three teams left in the finals race, something Mannah was quick to point out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all due respect to the Dolphins side. They don\u2019t have the team on paper that other teams have,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019ve managed to be a dominant side and put themselves in a position where they are one game away from the grand final.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mannah also credited Wayne Bennett, who helped lay down the foundations and played a major role in the Dolphins\u2019 remarkable rise.<\/p>\n
This included them winning their first-ever NRL match against the Sydney Roosters back in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk about doing your apprenticeship and I thought this was a Wayne Bennett masterclass,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne loves these occasions and the scene was set for Wayne to deliver one of the biggest upsets we\u2019ve seen up and to that point. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the players that are still there would get so much value out of that. They\u2019ve got so much enthusiasm against a team. <\/p>\n
\u201cPut them in an arena like this with their momentum, and they can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Roosters have named to start Sam Walker this weekend and if the half plays as expected, it\u2019ll…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":902990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-902989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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