Roosters coach Trent Robinson has welcomed and applauded a heated on-field exchange between two of his senior forwards and young halfback Sam Walker during his side’s comfortable 34-16 win over Brisbane at the SCG on Thursday night.
Immediately after Angus Crichton scored the Roosters’ third try early in the first half, prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves turned and pointed at Walker, admonishing him for a previous play that hadn’t worked out.
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Victor Radley also joined in, looking at the No.7 and tapping at his head as if to say “think about it”.
Walker took his medicine without complaint, going on to play a key role in an important win that keeps the Roosters well and truly in the finals race.
Robinson was more than happy to see his players criticizing each other’s performance on the run.
“Jared’s coached as many players as I have, so that’s his role (on the field),” Robinson said.
“We care about the way that we play the game and we feel like we can get better.
“These guys are coaching each other to go ‘Come on. We want more. Come on, let’s get beyond that. Don’t do that. Let’s get better’.
“We’ve got more in us and the coach isn’t going to decide that, it’s those guys on the field nailing it.
“Our best is yet to come because of what we’re talking about with Jared.
“Jared wants more and Teddy (James Tedesco) talked about it after the game to the team (saying) ‘I like some of the stuff but I want more’.
“But we feel like we’ve worked hard enough this year and tried different things that it’s time to play better.”
The Roosters will finish round 21 in seventh or eighth, just hanging inside the top eight but still a chance at a coveted top-four finish.
They play North Queensland, Wests Tigers, Melbourne and South Sydney over the final month of the regular season.
Tedesco said: “It’s so tight. There’s probably 10 teams within four points, so for us it’s about winning every week and just getting better.
“I feel we made a statement (against Brisbane) but we’re still chasing that 80-minute performance.
“We’ll learn our lesson from tonight and look forward to next week.”
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