Tedesco's hot form will force Daley to make No.1 choice
Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco has made another compelling case for a NSW recall at fullback with coach Laurie Daley now having to make a tough call about incumbent Dylan Edwards
Tedesco, with 24 State of Origin games for NSW to his credit, has been front and centre of the Roosters' three wins from their last four outings.
He won the Artie Legacy Medal as man of the match in the 46-26 win over the Dolphins on Friday night at Magic Round, which including two line breaks, two try assists and 212m.
Former NSW captain Tedesco was dropped from the Blues side after game one last year and Penrith fullback Edwards took his place in a 2-1 series win for NSW.
This year 32-year-old Tedesco's form has been superior to that of Edwards in a battling Panthers team.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said both had a compelling case.
"It is just who the coach wants to choose," Robinson said of Tedesco's Origin hopes.
"You can't go wrong obviously with Ted and everything that he has done, and you can't go wrong with Dylan. He is an amazing player. It is just the choice of a coach.
"There is no right or wrong decision. It is whatever the coach feels like is his team. There are other positions you can debate. I don't think fullback is one of them."
Daley said recently he was not concerned about the poor form of Penrith, who feature Blues stars like Edwards, Isaiah Yeo, Nathan Cleary and Liam Martin.
"I don't think I would have to worry about the guys who have won four competitions in a row and have performed at the highest level," Daley told Channel Nine.
I think you look at form and you look at what people have done in the past at that level and then weigh it all up."
Tedesco had a clear response when asked if he was shocked at his form as a 32-year-old.
"I am very clear on how I play footy and prepare. Everyone is expecting me to not be as good but I am sticking to my routine weekly - mentally freshening up for each game and physically getting my body right and then playing," he said.
"It's not my decision (who plays fullback for NSW). It is what the coach wants and how he wants to play.
"I have been on the other side of it over the years where I am the (NSW) fullback and everyone is talking about form. It does put pressure on you.
"I haven't felt any of that pressure.That has freed me up to play some of my best footy. My focus is leading this team, playing my game and leading from the front. That will never change."Everyone plays the game to play for their state or Australia. That is always a huge honour. That feeling has never changed for me."
Robinson said it was an honour to coach Tedesco.
"I have been lucky to coach some really great players and Ted stands up there with them all," he said.
"When he plays for his internal value system he gets the rewards on the end of it and that is what has happened his whole career. It doesn't matter what happens external to him.
"He is not trying to make Origin or make Australia. He is trying to play his best footy every week."
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The Age
43 minutes ago
- The Age
Carlton's great escape: Blues hold off ferocious Bomber fightback in King's Birthday eve blockbuster
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
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Australia's hockey women are not used to the sort of hammerings they were handed in consecutive days at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen as the world's No.1 side, the Netherlands, followed up their 8-1 win on Saturday with a 5-1 trouncing on Sunday. Hockeyroos' coach Katrina Powell made four changes in the hope of stemming the tide after the calamitous display on Saturday and for a moment, all looked good when NSW's Alice Arnott put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. Arnott was back in international action for the first time since her terrific Paris Olympic Games performance last August, and made it nine goals in just 23 appearances with her reverse-stick finish. "I was very excited to be back out there, in fact, I think it was probably the adrenaline talking that got me that goal!" said Arnott. "It was a great play from the defence to attack, the build up was really great, and I was the lucky one on the end of it, but it was nice to be back out there and that settled the nerves a little bit for me." Alas, for the team, it was only the prelude to another brilliant demonstration by the Dutch masters, aided by some careless turnovers from the Aussies. The Olympic champs equalised through Marijn Veen after 13 minutes, went ahead through Maud van den Heuvel in the 21st before Yibbi Jansen scored with a familiar drag flick on the stroke of halftime. There was no way back for the Hockeyroos as the Dutch completely dominated after the break, Jansen adding her second - and her fifth across the two matches - in the 41st minute before Felice Albers sealed their nap hand of goals seven minutes later. It was not the happiest way to celebrate Grace Young's 50th international appearance for Australia, nor Queensland striker Jamie-Lee Surha's historic debut as just the fifth Indigenous woman to represent the Hockeyroos. "Pulling on the Indigenous uniform was one of the most special moments for me, being a First Nations athlete in this team, I'm very proud to be here and in this uniform," Surha said. Captain Grace Stewart was adamant that the team would "take a lot from this" as they now move on to London for the next stage of the Pro League, where they'll face India twice before taking on hosts England. The Hockeyroos currently lie seventh of the league's nine teams, having lost seven of their 10 matches. The Hockeyroos changed their line-up and tried to summon up new resolve but, ultimately, were still overwhelmed for the second time in 24 hours by their ruthless Dutch hosts in international hockey's Pro League. Australia's hockey women are not used to the sort of hammerings they were handed in consecutive days at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen as the world's No.1 side, the Netherlands, followed up their 8-1 win on Saturday with a 5-1 trouncing on Sunday. Hockeyroos' coach Katrina Powell made four changes in the hope of stemming the tide after the calamitous display on Saturday and for a moment, all looked good when NSW's Alice Arnott put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. Arnott was back in international action for the first time since her terrific Paris Olympic Games performance last August, and made it nine goals in just 23 appearances with her reverse-stick finish. "I was very excited to be back out there, in fact, I think it was probably the adrenaline talking that got me that goal!" said Arnott. "It was a great play from the defence to attack, the build up was really great, and I was the lucky one on the end of it, but it was nice to be back out there and that settled the nerves a little bit for me." Alas, for the team, it was only the prelude to another brilliant demonstration by the Dutch masters, aided by some careless turnovers from the Aussies. The Olympic champs equalised through Marijn Veen after 13 minutes, went ahead through Maud van den Heuvel in the 21st before Yibbi Jansen scored with a familiar drag flick on the stroke of halftime. There was no way back for the Hockeyroos as the Dutch completely dominated after the break, Jansen adding her second - and her fifth across the two matches - in the 41st minute before Felice Albers sealed their nap hand of goals seven minutes later. It was not the happiest way to celebrate Grace Young's 50th international appearance for Australia, nor Queensland striker Jamie-Lee Surha's historic debut as just the fifth Indigenous woman to represent the Hockeyroos. "Pulling on the Indigenous uniform was one of the most special moments for me, being a First Nations athlete in this team, I'm very proud to be here and in this uniform," Surha said. Captain Grace Stewart was adamant that the team would "take a lot from this" as they now move on to London for the next stage of the Pro League, where they'll face India twice before taking on hosts England. The Hockeyroos currently lie seventh of the league's nine teams, having lost seven of their 10 matches.
