{"id":917127,"date":"2026-10-05T15:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917127\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T15:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:42:18","slug":"ive-said-that-openly-dces-honest-admission-and-robbos-hilarious-marky-mark-reveal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917127\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019ve said that openly\u2019: DCE\u2019s honest admission… and Robbo\u2019s hilarious Marky Mark reveal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe play for premierships\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mantra that is front and centre for the Roosters, according to coach Trent Robinson, and it rang true on Sunday night after a 19-18 win over the Knights.<\/p>\n

The Tricolours trailed by 12-0 after 30 minutes, with a Kalyn Ponga 80 metre clean-up try shaping as a crucial moment in the clash.<\/p>\n

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Get the expert take on NRL Grand Final Day with FOX LEAGUE\u2019s extensive coverage, plus full and mini replays available post-game on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Robinson was quizzed on whether any doubt crept in when his team were staring down the barrel of a comeback victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I mean as soon as you\u2019re 6-nil and then 12-nil down, 12-nil down can feel like 24-nil down in a grand final,\u201d Robinson explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then there was some things that we were doing really well at a really high level… our defensive line and the pressure, where we gave them the ball, where we were receiving the ball was all in order. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe just weren\u2019t quite sort of flowing with being able to pull them apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we obviously had the Kalyn (Ponga) runaway, but we were gonna have the field position that we\u2019re gonna constantly ask questions, so we asked for that at half time… and it was enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

That response led to yet another title under Robinson, who triumphed in his first season at the helm in 2013, before going back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.<\/p>\n

However, by their own admission, it has taken the Roosters \u201ca while to get back\u201d to the grand final to live up to the clubs title-winning mantra.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, they\u2019re all special, every year\u2019s brand new… I know we have a slogan, we play for premierships, and it\u2019s there and you feel that,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

\u201dIt\u2019s uplifting as well because it\u2019s quite clear the goal. But also when you don\u2019t, you feel it a lot and I\u2019ve felt it a lot as well as Ted (Tedesco) and the other players.<\/p>\n

GF PLAYER RATINGS<\/p>\n

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Holbrook: ‘Fight to get back here!’ | 11:57<\/p>\n

MORE GF NEWS<\/p>\n

\u2018HURTS SO MUCH\u2019: Ponga left shattered, consoled by Holbrook in heartbreaking scenes<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018PETTINESS\u2019: NRL\u2019s epic final serve in Grand Final saga as verdict in on entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe set our sights on it… I felt like we were so calm this year as a group, like we were really close. Like the whole year we were really, really close. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut there was some rocky waters outside the doors at different times, you know, and questioning and doubting and all of that. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I just I\u2019m really proud of the way we just held our cool and kept going and we stuck to our style this year of what we wanted… a lot of that came up tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Roosters\u2019 six-year premiership wait pales in comparison to that of veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans who joined his coach and captain in the press conference.<\/p>\n

In his first season in the NRL, Cherry-Evans lifted the premiership trophy was back in 2011 \u2014 and now has another title to his name as a 37-year-old in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like at the time of when he won as a younger fellow, I was very aware of how fortunate I\u2019d been in the great side that we had to get the job done that year in 2011,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve been chasing that moment and that feeling my whole career. I\u2019ve said that openly. I\u2019m extremely competitive, play to win. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know it might seem from the outside looking in there was definitely rocky times, but there was always an internal belief that this was going to get done this year with this special group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a great coach, an amazing coach. We have a fantastic leader, and off the back of that, you just have to do your job. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt some stage, you\u2019re gonna have to have your moment. But with such amazing quality across the park, you don\u2019t have to do it all the time. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to do your moment when the moment comes. So, yeah, so proud of the group and just so fortunate to be a part of two clubs\u2019 history, particularly this club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Cherry-Evans signed off his NRL career with a field goal that proved decisive in this grand final, with the veteran playmaker set to make the switch to the Super League.<\/p>\n

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n

‘It shouldn’t have been close’ | Debrief | 12:11<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys create those storylines, but I will say that was just an example of someone having to do their job for the team. It\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d Cherry-Evans said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have different jobs… you guys talk about some of those jobs sometimes, and then there\u2019s boys in our locker room that you don\u2019t talk about much who have to do their jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo yeah, they\u2019re just all moments, and it\u2019s all part of the team… from the top down, we\u2019re very lucky to have Trent (Robinson), Teddy (Tedesco). It\u2019s a great club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherry-Evans isn\u2019t the only Roosters player finishing up with the club, for now, with Mark Nawaqanitawase set to depart for Japanese rugby union.<\/p>\n

But not without a swipe from his coach, who delivered a hilarious assessment of his gun winger when he first arrived at the Roosters.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s extraordinary watching him play the game… when he gets the ball, you sort of go, okay what\u2019s gonna happen here? What can he do?\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201dWhen you other people get the ball in the same situation, you sort of know what\u2019s gonna happen. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mark gets it, there\u2019s like this energy that okay, he can do something here always, and he believes he can do something always. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut not only has he done it with the skill, he does it in carrying out of the backfield… and his arms were painted on when he came across. He could not tackle. <\/p>\n

\u201dHe just he wasn\u2019t sure where to be and all of that, and he cares so much with a smile on his face. It\u2019s been a real pleasure to coach someone with such freedom and care at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Roosters were able to shake off a long-standing NRL hoodoo, becoming the first ever team to win a premiership after conceding 50 points in a game during the season.<\/p>\n

That game came in the final round of the year against the Rabbitohs, with a wave of stars rested, and Robinson admitted it came to his mind during that clash.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about it in that Souths game… when it went to 50, I was like, \u2018oh\u2019… like you don\u2019t want to anchor to something like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201dBut then you\u2019ve got to sort of believe in sort of letting it go and you know the how many years between a premiership, a 50 point, like there\u2019s some things that sometimes are made up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why did we concede 50 points on that night? All of those things, but I\u2019m glad we broke it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe play for premierships\u201d. It\u2019s a mantra that is front and centre for the Roosters, according to coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-917127","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\/917127","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=917127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}