Roosters & Raiders set to go in opposite directions in 2023? I NRL Season Preview I Fox League

well let's look at the other Always ultra prepared and Ultra professional roosters Trent Robinson he has those standards and those principles are they ready for another unreal season uh yeah look you just look at their sidewon it's incredible you know look at their pickups that they've got they're obviously Brandon Smith is is a big one I think you know just like what we've spoken about uh with Ellie katoa I think Trent Robinson does the same with Jackson Paulo I felt like he you know was up and down at South Sydney he was in the side sometimes and out of it I think yeah Trent Robinson he's he's big and athletic Jackson Paulo and Robinson could work his magic with him the the concern if I've got any for the roosters if you look at that back line it's ridiculous like in terms of their athleticism their ability in Talent yeah Tedesco tupo swallies apparently had an enormous summer and been starring in the centers um you know you throw Joe himanu into that like it it's as good as you can possibly get with a with a salary cap my concern for them is and it may just take some time Brandon Smith uh minutes and workload playing every week at number nine I felt like he was a bit clunky understandably in the trial period his timing will come getting into that rooster system and Luke Kerry yeah that's now Luke here he's had a few head knocks we know that he's had some challenges again the last couple of weeks after a head knock at training uh missed the trial period um oh I'm not sure that they can win the competition without Luke Kerry like they they need Luke Kerry to have one of Luke Luke here a year like he's one of the most one of the most dynamic ball players well Luke deserves to have a look here I love watching look Kiri play so I I just hope I hope that I I hope that we get to see Luke here all season because when the roosters get going with Kerry in the side they're so good I think Luke Luke's fit Luke will be playing a big part for the roosters this year I think there's two parts to the roosters in 2023 how they went out last year in terms of the way they lost to souse I think individually and collectively will play a part in the way they go about this year because it doesn't matter what said in and around the game football is still football you need to play football you need to do things at work and not necessarily win the argument as such so I think that plays a big part I think the other part is Brandon Smith can he be that bounce I think he is arguably the most um Terrier like playing our competition about sea ball get ball and blinkers on and gone but can he still do that with having his eyes you know a little bit wide for a little bit of craft and getting the ball to argue with Sam Walker who can do things off the cuff too so that balance of Brandon Smith being the threat at dummy half but also bringing the craft in to bring other people into the game I think that's where they sit in terms of scoring points that combination coming together because if they can put it together Brandon Smith Sam Walker Luke Kerry Tedesco there's a spine that you can you can Bank on well I think Radley's the key I think they need a whole season from Victor Radley I really do I think he's the connector of that forward pack to that incredible back line when they don't have Victor Radley on the field they're a different side we then ask guys like um Jared Warrior hargroves and Matt Lodge to become the ball players when they should be thinking power those two were unbel when they teamed up at the roosters they were fantastic Matt Lodge was like playing some of his best footage he's been tremendous since going there so yeah Bradley's the key for me I really think they need a big season from Radley and um I think he saw one of our favorites isn't it we love him and it was wonderful to watch him really blossom in that World Cup environment as well uh just back on the cheese his instincts obviously are unquestionable how has he fit into the Rolls-Royce that is the roosters lives 500 meters I'm spending most of his time at icebergs and everything down there so like I don't think he's uh You're Gonna Miss Melbourne too much in terms of the lifestyle because he's in a very very nice part of the world tight leash for dinner every night uh now concerns in the capital Cooper the Raiders were very disappointing through the trials how much weight do you put on that like is that a real indicator on what's going to happen for Ricky Stewart or would he have looked at what he was working with in the last Fortnight leading up to kick off and say right oh let's just start again wipe the Slate clean let's focus on Premiership rugby league I had high hopes for the Raiders leading into the preseason because of what they did at the back end of last year they got white and Fogerty together tarpany and papa Lee he got back to what they're doing they beat the Melbourne storm on their home deck in week one of the finals and you thought you know what this has got glimpses of their period time in you know 2019 and 20. um but then that pre-season was underwhelming like it just they got arguably one of the best food packs in the competition they've got continuity now with Fogerty and whiten but defensively they just didn't put it together so um yeah I came into this season more like really looking forward to what the Raiders were going to put together a lot of confident talk out of the radio you think in the Press they're thinking about building and they want to go after they want to get back to when they played in The Grand Final so yeah I don't know where they sit with me I had High Hopes but geez it was underwhelming preseason for me have you spoken to Ricky do you know what their planning was were they a little bit let down by this preseason I haven't spoke to them post the trolls I spoke to I ran into him out at Bellmore always good to see Rick and he was in great spirits um with Cooper you know like they've got world-class forwards that they really do when you think of Joey tarpany Papa Louie Hudson young um you know Elliott Whitehead they're world-class players they really are Jack White and at six world-class key positions real concern for me um I you know I you know Jordan rappinger one wonderful player I think he'll do a really good job filling in for Xavier Savage there at fullback but then when you look at you know Danny Levi out of dummy half Jamal Fogerty is there enough there to really accelerate the Raiders to improve on with Cooper I thought they were underwhelming in the trial period and you know you excuse Jack White and out of that that spine and when raps goes back to the wing McGee's world class on the wing too but so much inexperience there with Levi and Xavier Savage and and Jamal not in experience more just um a a lack of of creativity and um I I worry about their key positions Well Ricky has been really open saying we haven't really had a fair run with our spinal playing together because they've had so many issues injuries disruptions they haven't been able to get it together if they get that consistency is that what is going to to drive the Raiders towards a more reliable I think when you talk about an experience or inconsistency in the spine you're not necessarily talking about skew what you're talking about decision making in pressure situations yeah the only time you get that is through exposure so when to hit the accelerator when to pull back when to do a high percentage play up against the risky play and those are the things that the the good spines and experienced spines have up their sleeve when you come up against teams that don't have that they often make the wrong call and then they put themselves under pressure and the defense doesn't hold up so yeah I'm with Mick I think they tried Seb Chris in the trial at fullback he got caught out of positions at different occasions so there's a lot to work there's a couple of teams that um need a big two weeks from when the pre-season to round one happens gonna need a big chunk of work to improve and the rate is one of those the rate is to get going confidence was if they could play off the back of their forwards if they if that can be their Kickstarter and their igniter if they can play off the back of tarpany and papa Lee and play offload 40 unpredictable footy white and kick into that left-hand corner with his kick chases kick Chase is the best in the game um then I think that they can build momentum through the season but if they try and out smart sides with skill and set pieces I don't think that they have the class in their key positions to be able to do that again excuse white and from that but Ricky did that last year they were on the skids last year halfway through the season you know Fogerty out weren't playing well they basically gave the keys to the tarponi probably and Hudson young with the offload game promote the ball get second phase and they turned it around they got into the finals so and beat Melbourne week one like they were fantastic don't worry Ricky and Madge will have him firing out of a cannon for around one