The real story at Bondi isn't DCE. It's the homegrown Roosters revival
As always, wheeling and dealing at Moore Park has been a fascinating narrative this season. Brandon Smith's exit. Dom Young's on-again, off-again departure. Once again, why exactly did they let Terrell May go?
The spectre of Daly Cherry-Evans' potential arrival which, given the rising form of Savala and diminutive five-eighth Sandon Smith, has plenty asking if the Roosters really do need the Manly and Maroons skipper.
Meanwhile, Robinson has blooded six rookies in 11 games this year. The club's dramatic generational shift comes after $4 million worth of talent and more than 900 games of experience walked out the door last season.
A season-opening 50-14 thrashing from Brisbane, in which Rob Toia, Salesi Foketi and Taylor Losalu all played NRL for the first time, was followed by an upset win over defending premiers Penrith when the Roosters were the rankest of $11 outsiders.
Losalu, who was earning $20,000 a year on a NSW Cup contract at the time, was back pouring concrete 12 hours after one of the biggest upsets of the NRL era.
Already, the Roosters' 5-6 campaign has delivered similar boilovers against the Broncos and Sharks and a slew of eclectic origin stories among their next generation.
Like Savala, the 193cm halfback, local junior and part-time Randwick bagman for his dad, bookmaker Scott Savala.
Impressive young lock Blake Steep told the story back in February of how he saved his own old man from drowning when he suffered a heart attack underwater while spearfishing.
Toia, the prodigious centre who has pushed through two ACL ruptures, back stress fractures and a broken jaw to be making his Queensland Origin debut after just 10 NRL games.
When Laurie Daley asked Roosters and NSW assistant Matt King for some intel on Toia last week, King told him he would already be a Maroons rep if it hadn't been for three straight years on the sidelines.
From a reporter's perspective, Robinson has always been at his most expansive when talking about a young player's progress and rugby league's various learning curves.
But we can't recall one of the game's most measured and considered coaches flying out of his seat to celebrate a try like Va'a's against Cronulla.
Skipper James Tedesco and vice-captain Victor Radley are playing with the same enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Mark Nawaqanitawase's remarkable rugby league learning curve – thrills, spills, tries of the decade and all – already makes him a player worth watching each week on his own.
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Reinvigorated is the kind of word that belongs in a shampoo ad before a rugby league story, but it's difficult to go too far past it with the Roosters. Even with each stirring upset followed by a loss as a youthful side comes to terms with the weekly demands of the NRL.
The club has been spruiking the virtues of its Roosters Academy for some time, which was inspired by a 2021 visit to Barcelona FC's famed La Masia nursery.
The investment by Nick Politis and Roosters directors is starting to pay serious dividends. Siua Wong, Steep, the Va'a brothers, Ioelu, Foketi and Toia are just some of the Academy's first-grade graduates.

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Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A bit of Alfie': Daley compares Dearden to Queensland great Langer
NSW coach Laurie Daley has paid Tom Dearden the ultimate compliment – and piled the pressure on him – by comparing him to Queensland's greatest-ever halfback, Allan Langer. Dearden will wear the Maroons' No.7 jersey for the first time in Origin II in Perth next week, after Queensland coach Billy Slater's decision to axe incumbent skipper Daly Cherry-Evans following their series-opening 18-6 loss at Suncorp Stadium. Asked whether he was surprised that Cherry-Evans was omitted after a 26-game Origin career, Daley suggested Dearden – who came off the bench in game one – would be more of an attacking threat for NSW to contain, starting alongside Queensland's new skipper, Cameron Munster. 'I don't buy into what the opposition do, but what I do know is that Tom Dearden is a great player,' Daley said. 'Anyone that's ever listened to my radio show that I do, I reckon he's the person I've wrapped most on that radio show over the last 18 months. 'I just love everything about him. And he's going to be a difficult challenge for us because he's a threat every time he has the ball. Him and Munster, if they're in a running frame of mind, then it's going to be a big test for our defence.' Daley said Dearden, who made his Test debut last year as Australia's five-eighth, is 'continually ... at you' and if a defender rests for a moment, the North Queensland skipper will seize that opportunity. 'He's sort of got a little bit of 'Alfie' [Langer] about him,' Daley said. 'Different style, but Alf was always one of those players who was always at you, at you, at you. And the moment you made the wrong decision, he was through. 'And that's what Dearden is. Such a good player. Such a good, tough player. Challenges the line, and he's a massive threat to us.'

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Phil Gould says Queensland's decision to axe Daly Cherry-Evans is a mistake
NSW's greatest coach Phil Gould says Queensland mentor Billy Slater has made a grave mistake by sacking Daly Cherry-Evans as the psychological mind games intensified ahead of Origin II. Slater made the biggest call of his coaching career by axing Cherry-Evans and installing Tom Dearden as his halfback for the return bout in Perth on Wednesday week. But Gould, the man who presided over the Blues' greatest Origin dynasty, has taken aim at Slater, saying Cherry-Evans should never have been dropped and questioned Dearden's ability to step up to save the series. 'I wouldn't have dropped Daly Cherry-Evans,' Channel 9 expert analyst Gould said. 'I respect his right to do that, he (Slater) is the coach, he has to make the big decisions and that's why he is going to be a great coach as time goes on. 'People will realise he is a great coach and has a great knowledge of the game, because it's a big call. 'I'm just wondering what Tom Dearden can provide that Daly Cherry-Evans couldn't. 'He doesn't play the Cherry-Evans role for his club side, now he has to walk into Origin with Queensland 1-0 down in the series against a very good NSW side.' Gould says the real problem was Queensland's misfiring forward pack and he is not convinced Dearden has the experience that 26-game champion Cherry-Evans possesses to get the Maroons out of trouble. 'I don't think any halfback, let alone a rookie, is going to function behind a forward pack that was beaten as badly as them,' Gould said. 'I'm thinking, if that happens again, Daly Cherry-Evans at this stage of his career is far more equipped to deal with that (NSW dominating) than throwing in a kid now and having to deal with that if it (Blues forwards winning the ruck) happens again. 'If NSW dominate in the forwards again (in Game Two) and Dearden can't get into the game, how does that affect his development going forward?' The one concern is whether Dearden has the long-range kicking game to put the boot into the Blues, but Slater is confident the 24-year-old can straighten Queensland's attack and unlock their speed out wide. 'We certainly want to play to our players' strengths,' Slater said. 'You earn every opportunity to play in this jersey and we just feel that Tom Dearden has earnt the opportunity to play in the No.7 jersey. 'At the end of the day, when you're in this position to make decisions, you have to think what's best for the footy team. 'We just feel Tom is the right person for the No.7 jersey right now. 'We feel it's the right thing for the footy team.' New Queensland skipper Cameron Munster backed his halves partner Dearden to prove Gould and his critics wrong. 'He's been playing some great footy,' he said. 'Unfortunately one of my good mates had to be left out (Cherry-Evans). 'I'm really excited to see what combination we can bring on Wednesday and we all know what Tommy brings. 'He's always in effort areas, always working off the ball, he's saved a lot of tries this year from little things and little effort areas that he's got in his game and that's the reason why he's in this team. 'He can definitely lead this team around and I'm really excited to see where we can go.'

The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
‘A bit of Alfie': Daley compares Dearden to Queensland great Langer
NSW coach Laurie Daley has paid Tom Dearden the ultimate compliment – and piled the pressure on him – by comparing him to Queensland's greatest-ever halfback, Allan Langer. Dearden will wear the Maroons' No.7 jersey for the first time in Origin II in Perth next week, after Queensland coach Billy Slater's decision to axe incumbent skipper Daly Cherry-Evans following their series-opening 18-6 loss at Suncorp Stadium. Asked whether he was surprised that Cherry-Evans was omitted after a 26-game Origin career, Daley suggested Dearden – who came off the bench in game one – would be more of an attacking threat for NSW to contain, starting alongside Queensland's new skipper, Cameron Munster. 'I don't buy into what the opposition do, but what I do know is that Tom Dearden is a great player,' Daley said. 'Anyone that's ever listened to my radio show that I do, I reckon he's the person I've wrapped most on that radio show over the last 18 months. 'I just love everything about him. And he's going to be a difficult challenge for us because he's a threat every time he has the ball. Him and Munster, if they're in a running frame of mind, then it's going to be a big test for our defence.' Daley said Dearden, who made his Test debut last year as Australia's five-eighth, is 'continually ... at you' and if a defender rests for a moment, the North Queensland skipper will seize that opportunity. 'He's sort of got a little bit of 'Alfie' [Langer] about him,' Daley said. 'Different style, but Alf was always one of those players who was always at you, at you, at you. And the moment you made the wrong decision, he was through. 'And that's what Dearden is. Such a good player. Such a good, tough player. Challenges the line, and he's a massive threat to us.'