James Tedesco slaps down call from Matty Johns as cracks emerge at Sydney Roosters
Sandon Smith is expected to retain his halfback spot despite a tough NRL finals initiation against Penrith.
Roosters stars James Tedesco and Luke Keary insist Sandon Smith is the right man for the job amid calls for Joey Manu to be moved into the halves for the do-or-die clash against Manly. Smith had a night to forget in his NRL finals initiation against Penrith in the 30-10 loss on Friday night.
The 21-year-old produced a couple of poor kicks and inexplicably put his foot into touch in the second half, leading NRL pundits such as Matty Johns to suggest several times over the weekend that the Tri Colours might be better served by moving Manu into the halves rather than sticking with Smith. Smith was rushed into the No.7 jersey following Sam Walker’s season-ending ACL injury in the second-last round of the regular season and is viewed by the club as Walker's long-term halves partner.
The Roosters are expected to stick with Walker for Saturday's must-win clash against Manly. The Tri Colours will also welcome Jared Waerea-Hargreaves back from suspension for the clash but are still missing several key men.
Chief among them are Walker, hooker Brandon Smith and Victor Radley. The trio's injuries against Canberra a fortnight ago prompted several critics to write off the Roosters, who have been among the competition favourites all year.
However, Tedesco insists despite all the injuries they have the squad to win the premiership and rejected suggestions that internally they are beginning to doubt themselves after the loss to Penrith and several injuries to key players. "You guys aren't in our four walls," Tedesco told reporters on Monday.
"Honestly, I am sick and tired of hearing about it (the Roosters' injuries) from you guys. It's all you talk about. Every time I do media, you talk about it. It wasn't easy on the weekend, but the top four gives us a second chance. It's a bit of a setback for us on the weekend, but it's not the end of the trail for sure."
Luke Keary throws support behind young half Sandon Smith
Keary was also defiant when addressing the media on Monday as he threw his support behind under-fire halfback Smith, insisting he is the right man for the job. "I get it. There is always going to be talk, and we have guys in here who can play different spots," Keary said.
"But inside the building, the trust in him, we have seen what he can do. He really suits the structure. We have attacked really well this year.
"He gives us a chance to play the style we practised since October last year, with the type of players Sam and I are as smaller ball-playing halves. We didn't have to blow up the whole system and figure out a different one, which is what we would have to do with a Manu or another fullback."
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Keary also said it wasn't fair to pin the blame for the loss to Penrith on Smith. "To put the team under pressure with errors, penalties, six agains. You do that against any team in the NRL and you are in trouble," Keary said.
"You do it against Penrith and it is a death sentence. We can talk about different combinations across the field. But as a team, we need to give these guys that are coming in a chance."
with AAP
