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Tackles and Tinnies - E32 - Sydney Roosters 2025 Review & 2026 Preview
25 Plays3 months ago
The Roosters were good enough to sneak into September… but 2026 is where the pressure cranks. Because if you add DCE + Reece Robson to a spine that already has Teddy + Sam Walker, you’re not allowed to be “just top eight” anymore.
We get into:
- 2025 snapshot: what 8th (+132) actually says about their ceiling
- The “under-delivered” vibe: contenders one week, flat the next
- Recruitment: DCE, Robson, Ramsey, Talau (and what it signals)
- Is Teddy / Walker / DCE / Robson the best 1-7-6-9 combo on paper?
- The middle rotation sauce + who leveled up in 2025
- 2026 draw: 15th easiest, doubles, Origin/byes, and why the run home screams surge
- Projected best-case 2026 17/19 and where the selection headaches land
- Explicit ladder call: Roosters finish 4th
Cap or Fact: the 2026 Roosters are a top-4 lock… or is this just another “looks scary on paper” year?
Roosters fans — where’ve you got them finishing in 2026? 👇
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:00
Tackles and Tinnies
Cheers.
00:00:02
Tackles and Tinnies
Welcome back, guys, to Tackles and Tinnies. We're up to episode 32 of Total. We're going through the whole entire list from 2025 regarding all the teams' reviews slash previews. I've skipped only two teams in order, which is the West Tigers, which I'd like to do Chris.
00:00:18
Tackles and Tinnies
And I've also skipped the South Sydney Rabbitohs because I would like to it with Morgan. Two diehard fans, again, ideally in a perfect world. The mates who I've got who are diehard fans of those teams, i would love to bring them on and get their perspective. Otherwise, it's going to hear me yap and yap, which obviously is a good thing too.
00:00:35
Tackles and Tinnies
But guys, today we're doing the Sydney Roosters. We're finally into the top eight. We're out of the the dungeon of mediocrity. Let's get straight into it. So the Sydney Roosters 2025 slash preview.
00:00:48
Tackles and Tinnies
So where did the Roosters rank in 2025? They got eighth with 13 wins and 11 losses with a plus for and against of 132. They managed to score points, which was the fifth best attack in the league and only conceded which the best overall.
00:01:09
Tackles and Tinnies
They were six wins, six losses at at home and seven wins and five losses away from home. And in their final stretch, which was very clutch, they managed to get four wins and one loss. And I pretty much guys, that's what got them into the final.
00:01:24
Tackles and Tinnies
So big picture looking at 2025. Still a great team on paper, but never fully clicked or had that overall cohesion in my eyes for long stretches of time, particularly in obviously the first half of the season. And a big reason to that, in my opinion, was Sam Walker coming back from an ACL injury.
00:01:44
Tackles and Tinnies
Overall, I thought they did well. Obviously, had some young guys like Savala come in, but we'll talk about that very, very soon. frustrating for Sydney Roosters fans, as I could imagine for you.
00:01:54
Tackles and Tinnies
Obviously, as I just said on paper, you guys should be one of the best teams in the comp, but really struggle with consistency and yeah, getting guys on the park for a long period of time. You had some guys who come back, which we'll mention very shortly, but let's just keep moving on.
00:02:12
Tackles and Tinnies
2025 season story how that actually went in my eyes so again top five attack fantastic plus 132 when they go right they blew teams off the park and we talked about the dolphins game uh not too long ago in their review and again i'll quickly bring that one up for you guys but that game pretty much locked them in until the top eight so it was in round Round 23, it was the Dolphins versus the Roosters. That was at Suncorp. So it was to get technically a Dolphins home game.
00:02:44
Tackles and Tinnies
Huge game. Okay. And they won 64 to 12. That was pretty much the definitive factor. I've talked about that in great detail in the Dolphins review. So guys, check that out in our Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, wherever you get your fixture of tackles and tinnies. But that's a huge win for them.
00:03:02
Tackles and Tinnies
Huge, huge win. However, defense was solid. Again, it top eight team. But again, they were still leaky. Again, you're looking at, let's say, the last couple of games. Round 25, lost to the Eels 30 to 10.
00:03:15
Tackles and Tinnies
Good, not great. Then you can obviously go back a couple other weeks. Lost to the Sharks in round 20, 31 to 18.
00:03:24
Tackles and Tinnies
You're still conceding a fair few points. Round 18, 28 points the Roosters, 30 points of West Tigers. You're still conceding too many points for teams who shouldn't be blowing you out of the park or there was too much of a margin between the games, which didn't let you have a chance at the very end of the game to get back in.
00:03:42
Tackles and Tinnies
So personally, their overall vibe, classic Roosters rollercoaster year, looked good in patches, managed to get through the origin period, particularly with Tedesco not being selected.
00:03:53
Tackles and Tinnies
However, weren't good enough to get into the top four, which again, if you're not in the top four, guys, very hard to get to the grand final. Again, they snuck into the top eight by a beast dick, literally just got in. Again, the Dolphins were right on their tail.
00:04:10
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, they did make the top eight, which is still very, very good. However, they did lose to the Sharkies, which they have struggled against, as I mentioned before. They lost to them in round 20, 31, 18. However, they lost to the Sharks in round one of the finals, 20 to 10. And again,
00:04:27
Tackles and Tinnies
The Shark is a very good defensively. i thought again, the Roosters at times were quite clunky in attack. They couldn't just click, but they've got a few recruits this year guys and lost very few players. They should be looking pretty good and dangerous for the 2026 season. I want to hear from you guys. What are your first thoughts on the Sydney Roosters?
00:04:48
Tackles and Tinnies
Like emotional, just give me a full emotion. What was your first thoughts regarding the 2025 season? Good news is, guys, you're still got the same coaching staff. you' still got Trent Robinson leading at the helm. Proven Premiership winner.
00:05:02
Tackles and Tinnies
Still very respected amongst all his colleagues. Players obviously seem to play for him, which is fantastic as well. However, has i guess, the league sort of read how he plays and how he coaches? Has he sort of got their systems down pat?
00:05:19
Tackles and Tinnies
Definitely needs to evolve in my opinion. But again, he's had a fair few turnover with some very good players as well. But the Roosters in true Roosters standard had the seller cap, Sambrero.
00:05:29
Tackles and Tinnies
Should have got my Akubra back on. mom But yeah, Kent Robinson still there. Still one of the best coaches in the league. So Roosters fans, you should be very happy there. But again, top quality talent should be better in defense. And I think that again, that was probably their letdown overall.
00:05:46
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, could still manage to score points. Roster movement, so they're in and out. Again, I'm on the nrl.com signings page here. So one big guy who's off contract we'll talk about shortly is Angus Crichton. He's only there till the end of this year. There's definitely murmurs that he could be potentially going to Rugby Union.
00:06:06
Tackles and Tinnies
I know Roosters and Roosters fans would love to re re-sign him. However, yeah, we'll see. A lot of potential change there. Billy Smith, he signed there until the end of 2027.
00:06:18
Tackles and Tinnies
Finally, the guy was healthy, which is great to hear and see. Red hot talent when he's on the park. Consistency for him and confidence in his body is probably the biggest thing.
00:06:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Blake Steep is there to the end of 2028. Got some games here and there, but wasn't a consistent first grader. Obviously still very young. Cody Ramsey, another young fella.
00:06:40
Tackles and Tinnies
We'll talk about him very soon regards to players to watch for 2026. But yeah, he's here there 2027. Connor Watson, Mr. Fix-It, put him anywhere. Senna, in the halves, hooker, utility off the bench, number 13, Mr. Fix-It, and he was perfect for origin in that regard as well.
00:06:59
Tackles and Tinnies
Does he start for 2026? We'll have to see in the top 19 preview there.
00:07:05
Tackles and Tinnies
Daily Cherry Evans, the the ringer, the the silent assassin coming in. Well, not so silent with the Manly exit. Again, check out my thoughts in the Manly podcast that I'd done not too long ago.
00:07:15
Tackles and Tinnies
But yeah, one-year contract, more than likely last year. But again, I'm not going to say definitively. As we saw, he's still got it. The last couple of rounds with Cherry Evans, he absolutely killed it.
00:07:28
Tackles and Tinnies
I think having Sam Walker, guys like Tedesco there, guys like Recy Robson, we're about to talk about as well, Connor Watson, there's plenty of talent around him. He's not going to do so much heavy lifting.
00:07:40
Tackles and Tinnies
That could potentially extend his career even further. What do you guys think? Do you think Cherry Evans will extend past the 2026 season or is it more a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, you sign here for one year, then we'll give you a coach's role?
00:07:53
Tackles and Tinnies
I don't know. You tell me. Daniel Tupou, what can we say about him? Absolute gun, one still one of the best and most consistent wingers. Absolute cheat code on that left wing under the high ball.
00:08:07
Tackles and Tinnies
Could easily play Origen. Still so good. Early 30s, yeah, he's got the fountain of youth, Mr. Tupou. Would love to see him at least resign for another year until end of 2027.
00:08:20
Tackles and Tinnies
I'll make a comment now. I'm looking through this quite in detail. lot of guys will be off contact at the end of 2027. They'll be flush with cap space, but we might have to talk about that one later.
00:08:34
Tackles and Tinnies
Va'ar, he's there at the end 2027. The Butcher Boys, Egan and Nat Butcher, they're both there 2027. Junior Pargo, Jake tedesco he's there to twenty twenty seven Will that be his last year?
00:08:50
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, like Junior Tupo, there might be something at Bondi beaches with the fountain of youth. Give me some of that, please. Tedesco could play to his 40, honestly. He's so fit. He really did some sprint training at the start of the 2024 season. That's done wonders for his game.
00:09:05
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, more talent around him, meaning we'll have to do less work, meaning he's, pardon of me, guys, pardon of me, doing less work, meaning that he should be able to extend his career further on.
00:09:17
Tackles and Tinnies
Probably we will have to take a pay cut, I'm saying, just to the fact there's so much talent in this. Smokey, guys, that could be coming at the end of this season, but we'll get to that one soon.
00:09:28
Tackles and Tinnies
Next up, we got Junior Tupou. He's a new signing from the Manly Seagulls, utility outside back. Perfect extended bench guy in my eyes, but there's a couple of guys fighting for that same position. But again, we'll get to that later on the podcast, as you guys know, regarding our top 19 preview.
00:09:45
Tackles and Tinnies
Lindsey Collin, gun front roller, hard nose, got that dog, got that aggression. John Cena-esque haircut. Love to see it. He's there to 2028. Origin mainstay, Australian mainstay.
00:09:58
Tackles and Tinnies
Yeah, he's a great buy and great culture guy as well. Next up, we've got Marky Mark or Mark Nwanganitawase. Guys, let me know how I go with the print pronunciation there. I thought I killed it. But yeah, Marky Mark, last year in Roosters Colors.
00:10:12
Tackles and Tinnies
Okay, he was absolutely fantastic in the last half of the season. Again, played junior rugby league. However, most of his football was in rugby union, obviously, playing for the Wallabies in more recent times. He's going back to play in the World Cup.
00:10:27
Tackles and Tinnies
Might come back after that. We will see. But yeah, Marky Mark, very good chance to make the New South Wales Blues this year as well, particularly with the Zach Lomax situation.
00:10:36
Tackles and Tinnies
Go on to my Tackles and Tinnies Instagram YouTube shorts or TikTok on my thoughts about that one. I talked about the Butcher Boys, Nafahu White. Okay, he's there to 2029.
00:10:49
Tackles and Tinnies
Absolute gun. I'm going to give all the roses to him later on in this podcast. But I thought overall, Nafahu White was one of your best players, Russas fans. You should be so happy he's there to 2029. Only 23 years old.
00:11:03
Tackles and Tinnies
He's not even in his prime yet. He's only going to get better. His confidence is only gaining traction. I'm expecting huge things from him. I loved watching him in the pack nations, but I'll get to that later on the podcast.
00:11:16
Tackles and Tinnies
Another guy that you've brought in for this year, absolute gun is Recy Robson. Cowboys, New South Wales, hooker. Definitely could be playing for Australia if Harry Grant wasn't there. He's there to 2029.
00:11:29
Tackles and Tinnies
here He's going to be very good for you guys. Absolute tackle bot, good from dummy half, very strong in contact. Yeah, great service from Dummy Half. I think he's very underrated pickup for you guys for the 2026 season.
00:11:45
Tackles and Tinnies
I think he could be the difference of being in the top eight versus the top four, personally. Absolutely done. A guy we won't talk about too much, but Ruben Garrick, he's obviously signed for 2027. He's the Marky Mark replacement. He's got a three-year contract with the Roosters for 2027.
00:12:02
Tackles and Tinnies
Great pickup, a one-for-one trade. Again, there's some other smoky guys that I'll talk about later who could be joining him. But yes, Ruben Garrick, great pickup. Robert Toya, Queensland, Tongan International,
00:12:15
Tackles and Tinnies
Came back from an ACL injury, signed to the end of 2029. So happy for him that he got his body right. And when Billy Slater picked him for the Queensland team, my God, it was a bit like, are you sure, Billy? Like young, unproven, played less than 10 first grade games.
00:12:32
Tackles and Tinnies
And my God, he did so good defensively against Latrell Mitchell. And then obviously an attack, it speaks for himself. So Robert Toya, great to see him healthy. Great to see him starting consistently. And obviously,
00:12:46
Tackles and Tinnies
playing international football and Queensland, respectfully. Salis Foketti, he's there 2027, had a couple of first grade games. We'll talk about him in players to watch for 2026. New mobile type forward, perfect for the new era of football. But again, we'll talk about him soon.
00:13:04
Tackles and Tinnies
Sammy Walker, there in 2027, came back halfway through the season from his ACL injury. When he came back, only took him a couple of games and my God, he was red hot. He was red hot when he came back.
00:13:16
Tackles and Tinnies
Huge attacking upside. Very small body, but bloody hell he plays above his weight. Roosters fans, let me know. Sam Walker, does he get a Queensland start in the next two years? I want to know.
00:13:29
Tackles and Tinnies
Is he next man up when Cameron Munster goes? Let me know in the comments. Su Wang, he's there to 2026. Love to see him and get a contract extension. I think he's still underutilized, but with the salary cap's ambrero that full rim, Su Wang struggles to get in the park. And again, that comes down to the awesome depth that the Roosters have built over the past couple of years.
00:13:51
Tackles and Tinnies
Can play edge, can play middle, could play 80 minutes if you need to, could even shift to the centers. Okay, great player, only getting better. Love to see it. Spencer Lenu, he's at 2027.
00:14:05
Tackles and Tinnies
Started a few games, came off the bench for a few games, got suspended for a few games. It's the Spencer Lenu rollercoaster.
00:14:11
Tackles and Tinnies
Can be overly aggressive and just have a meltdown on the field, which then results into a penalty or a simbin, which costs the team. I think overall, there's more pros than cons, and obviously he's the most ideal impact forward off a bench. So yeah, he's at 2027.
00:14:28
Tackles and Tinnies
Toby Rodwell, he's there at 2028. He's a young upcoming player, I believe. Going off my notes here.
00:14:37
Tackles and Tinnies
Toby Rodwell is a young halfback. Yeah, so he's 19 years old. I don't think he's going to get too much of a crack in 2026. He's only, yeah, as I mentioned, 19 years old. You got DCE, you got Sammy Walker, and you got Savala in front of him, but he's the man after that. So again, he might get a sniff if there's injuries, but at this stage, I think he's more of a developmental player.
00:15:01
Tackles and Tinnies
And then finally it to round out the squad, you've got Victor Radley. What we say about Radley? Hyper-aggressive player, fantastic in contact, can play at lock, can play at second row. He's Sammy Walker's bodyguard when he's there.
00:15:15
Tackles and Tinnies
Kind of like him for that reason there. And now with Reece Robinson in the team, that lets Connor Watson shift more into a middle role as well. Where does Victor Radley play in 2026, guys? I want to hear from you guys in the comments as well.
00:15:29
Tackles and Tinnies
So confirm new signings. Again, I'll quickly go over these. I just talked about Reece Robson, huge recruitment, origin level nine, could play for Australia. Solves their long-term hooking position. Huge monumental upside, compliments their spine perfectly.
00:15:43
Tackles and Tinnies
DCE, one year contract, marquee signing will help with relieving some pressure off Sammy Walker being the only marquee attacking weapon besides Sadesco.
00:15:54
Tackles and Tinnies
Great kicking game. Yeah, great. winning premiership player, great experience. What will his role be exactly? Probably playing 5'8". Many questions to be answered, but I think Cherry Evans will fit in perfectly.
00:16:09
Tackles and Tinnies
Cody Ramsey, again, outside back depth, but we just just briefly talked about him. We'll talk about it again later on in the podcast. Tommy Talau, think, is a very underrated and sort of late-ish pickup within the offseason here. Utility outside back coming from Manly Seagulls, provide great cover in, well, particularly the wing in the center position. He's big enough to play in the second row.
00:16:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Maybe an ideal 19th man if the extended bench goes through. But yeah, Tommy Talau, very, very good in his own right. Now, again, I mentioned previously with Ruben Garrick, he's there in 2027, fantastic pickup, replacing Mark Nwanganita-Wase, can goal kick, I project Sammy Walker to goal kick, but yeah, very reliable, can play wing, can play center, can play fullback, a very durable play as well, touch wood.
00:16:57
Tackles and Tinnies
But yeah, not there for 2026, but then worthy noting that he'll be our transitioning in the next year. Now, love Smokey Chat here in Tackles and Tinnies, guys. But I'm hearing murmurs, and this has been for a while, particularly with Joey Marnie, but I'm more also hearing and seeing Joseph Suwali'i to return in potentially as early as 2027.
00:17:20
Tackles and Tinnies
If Tedesco retires at the end of 2027, you're going to have NGCE going potentially as well. Joey Manu, Suali'i come straight back into the team. Mark Nwanganitawase could be back as well.
00:17:32
Tackles and Tinnies
My God. Imagine those three. The next era of roosters. Guys, I'm not the biggest roosters fan, but that gets me horny a little bit. Joey Manu, Suali'i, Mark Nwanganitawase.
00:17:45
Tackles and Tinnies
So dynamic, so athletic. I'd love to see Manu at 5'8", low-key. Fantastic at fullback, don't get me wrong. But Sulee at fullback as well.
00:17:57
Tackles and Tinnies
stuff Guys, they've got so much juicy players potentially going back. All Smokey Chat, what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments. Does one or both Sulee and Manu come back in 2027, even potentially at the end of this year?
00:18:12
Tackles and Tinnies
Key losses. So Brandon Smith, he went to the Rabbitohs mid-season. Yeah, bit of contract drama there. was Just obviously got a release. Brandon Smith had some off-field allegations regarding some, what can we say, white substance in Sunshine Coast.
00:18:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Yeah, creatine, creatine. That's what it was. So Brandon Smith, he's gone to the Newcastle Knights. Handy player for the Roosters in 2025. Played a lot of halfback. Played some five eight Played some dummy half as well.
00:18:43
Tackles and Tinnies
Good versatility. He's going to be a big loss overall. But DCE obviously is a better player. So, Santa Smith, probably I'm hearing that he's going starting at halfback for the Newcastle Knights with Dylan Brandt. Actually going be playing 5'8". Which means Fletcher Sharp more than likely will be back onto that wing.
00:19:02
Tackles and Tinnies
He lost Zach Docker-Clay. He was a pretty big loss as well, i believe. If I recall off the top of my head, he has gone to the Manly Seagulls being the backup for Jake Simpkin.
00:19:15
Tackles and Tinnies
Yeah, they're probably the two biggest guys to be talking about. Now, the biggest thing we need to be talking about in regard is their spine. It's arguably the best in the comp, probably rivaling the Melbourne Storm. So Melbourne's got Falongo, Munster, Jerome Hughes, and Harry Grant.
00:19:33
Tackles and Tinnies
Three of those boys are arguably the best or if not the second best in their position. tell you what, Roosters fans, you should be pretty happy with this. Tedesco, DCE, Walker, Robson. That is a potent nine potent spine. And you can even chuck in maybe even a Connor Watson at 13 as a linking man.
00:19:54
Tackles and Tinnies
Guys, want to hear in the comments, again, what do you guys think of the rooster spine? Is it the best in the comp? Let me know. They've also quietly built up a brutal middle rotations. Again, you've got Collins, Lanu, Radley, Nafahu White, Suu Wong. You've got other guys we could talk about with the Butcher Boys. Could be potentially there.
00:20:14
Tackles and Tinnies
Faketti, another guy, young fella. Plenty of depth, no excuses. You've got the middles and the edges to do it with the best of them. If not, you are the best of them.
00:20:26
Tackles and Tinnies
you should be laying a great platform for DC and Walker, then your deadly outside backs should be putting on tries. No reason should not be a top five and in attack and defense.
00:20:37
Tackles and Tinnies
That might be a little smoky chat for the are where I predict them later on. Now, 2025 2025 player callers, who exceeded my expectations? I've already talked about him briefly before, but Nafahu Wyatt, he's an impact forward.
00:20:51
Tackles and Tinnies
Sort of just blew onto the scene. He was in my super coach team in the first few rounds and he was a little bit underperforming. I was like, I'm just going to sell him. He was like four hundred and fifty k And then as literally, as soon as I sold him, popped off the entire year.
00:21:06
Tackles and Tinnies
Big body, big motor, big booty. He can break tackles, loves the contact, which I love to see as well. I remember in the pack nations might've been junior polo ran it real hard at them and sort of Nafahi White took a step back and then Nafahi shook his like, let's go champ, let's go.
00:21:27
Tackles and Tinnies
So Nafahi White, he's their and enforcer. He's their big dog. He's their alpha male in their pack. along with Spencer and Collins. My God, your forward pack is elite, Roosters fans. You are very, very lucky.
00:21:40
Tackles and Tinnies
Only 23 years old, plenty of upside to go. Suu Wong, I've already spoke about him as well. Just, there's so much depth. You guys have so, so much depth. Could easily be starting in the back row.
00:21:51
Tackles and Tinnies
As soon as there's one guy down, I think Suu Wong does take that back row position. He will definitely be coming off the bench. Minutes for him, bit sporadic. How many does he play? Probably between 25 to 40 minutes on a given night, assuming health for everyone.
00:22:06
Tackles and Tinnies
What do you guys think of Suo Wong's role for 2026? Does he start? Does he come off the bench? How many minutes? Let me know in the comments.
00:22:13
Tackles and Tinnies
Two other boys, and it's fantastic to see them back playing consistent football, but Robert Toya and Billy Smith, two boys who've been devastated by injury. Again, I've already mentioned that before, but these two guys, when they are healthy, are like probably top 10 centers.
00:22:28
Tackles and Tinnies
Billy Smith in particular, i think he was Australian schoolboy representative. He's just been, yeah, being cruel by the injury bug throughout the years, soft tissue, ACLs, but he managed to string a fair few games. I can't go to the top of my head, so sorry about that, guys. But Billy Smith managed to, yeah, again, was very consistent and very high attacking upside. Billy Smith for 2025, I would give him...
00:22:55
Tackles and Tinnies
a 7.5 out of 10 in regards to his overall ability. Robert Toyer, if we're giving Billy Smith a 7.5 out of 10, I'm giving Robert Toyer an 8.5 out of 10. My God, popped out of nowhere. It was like less than 10 first-row games, as I mentioned before.
00:23:11
Tackles and Tinnies
Billy Smith had full faith in him that he was going to... provide for Queensland, and my God, he did that tenfold. Again, to marking one of the hardest guys in the league to defend one-on-one in Latrell Mitchell, held his own, and being so young, hats off to Robert Toya. Those two boys, I mean, like you lost Suali'i and Joey Manu, and then literally replaced it with Robert Toya and Billy Smith.
00:23:33
Tackles and Tinnies
So lucky. So much talent. Again, hats off to the the Roosters management for locking these boys down, and obviously getting them healthy.
00:23:44
Tackles and Tinnies
And finally, and but definitely not last and least, is James Tedesco. Won the Dallium medal, aging like fine wine, workhorse. He's the captain, winning pedigree. He's got that dog.
00:23:57
Tackles and Tinnies
Wants the ball all the time and you want that from your captain. he You want him to be the best version for the team and he puts his heart on his sleeve every single week. He's the hardest worker in that team.
00:24:09
Tackles and Tinnies
a Great communicator on the field. Sets that defense quite well. One of the best support players in the league. Again, that's why he's a Dahlia medal winner. Again, doesn't play Origin anymore, so that's in his favor in regards to that Daliem medal. However, could easily, easily play for New South Wales Blue again and potentially even be better than their current crop because New South Wales suck.
00:24:34
Tackles and Tinnies
yes Underwhelming question mark. So again, Radley, is he a middle? Is he an edge? Can he stay healthy with his head knocks? Can he not get suspended?
00:24:44
Tackles and Tinnies
Question marks there for 2026. I'm hoping he's just going to be Sammy Walker's enforcer. I don't know about how you guys think about his role there, but I think, yeah, he's very good in defense, which then puts less pressure on Walker to make those hard calls.
00:25:00
Tackles and Tinnies
But yeah, HIAs are very scary. And a couple more head knocks could be detrimental to his long-term prospects in the NRL. A guy who also was underwhelming, and again, I think it was only underwhelming due to the fact that his expectation was so high going into 2025 because he had such a good 2024 season, was Gus Bus, better known as Angus Crichton. He still represented New South Wales. He still represented Australia. My God, he looked good for Australia in the Ashes series, didn't he?
00:25:30
Tackles and Tinnies
I just don't know if he got good enough ball, sort of put the offload away. i don't know. There was just something off about, I guess, the eye test for me. Definitely worked hard. Don't get me wrong.
00:25:42
Tackles and Tinnies
But there was something in the eye test for me that just made me feel that he was underperforming. Again, on Supercoach was a bit disappointing as well. I want to hear from you guys. What were your thoughts on Angus Crichton for the 2025 season? If I had to give him a rating out of 10, 10, a seven, but I think he was like a nine out 10 in 2024.
00:26:01
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, very good in the ashes. He was probably like a nine out of 10 in the ashes. My God, when he gets space, he's terrifying. But yeah, all the intangibles still there. It was just something off for Angus Crichton for me.
00:26:13
Tackles and Tinnies
And then Yeah, they're probably the two main guys that we should be discussing. So my best moment or favorite moment or most notable moment for the 2025 season, it was a huge matchup and round. It was the Roosters versus the Storm. They won 40-10.
00:26:33
Tackles and Tinnies
It was Mark Nwonganyi-Tawase pretty much stamping his authority on the league, scoring four tries. This was a pivotal game for them to make the final series. The Roosters scored all their points in the second half, completed a significant comeback.
00:26:46
Tackles and Tinnies
So again, they were down 10-0 at halftime. That's crazy. 10 to a half time and then they win 40 to 10. Monumental round for them. Again, that was in round 26. If they lost that game, they probably don't make finals.
00:27:04
Tackles and Tinnies
That's the scary thing, guys. You're down 10-0 against arguably the best team in the comp and you came back and put 40 points to nil. at Amy Park, as well as it was Craig Bellamy's 600th game as a senior head coach.
00:27:21
Tackles and Tinnies
Packed our stadium with 21,000 people. You had everything against you and that showed the grit that you had. But that's what I come back to at the very start of the podcast where I mentioned the inconsistencies. Imagine you could have stringed 80 minutes together. You would have put 60 to 70 points on.
00:27:36
Tackles and Tinnies
Fantastic moment. Pretty much set them up for final series, but again, disappointing that they couldn't continue that monumental effort into the final series. So rookies in place to watch for 2026.
00:28:05
Tackles and Tinnies
Robert Toya, technically second year, outside back, signed until the end of 2029. A lot of faith shown from Trent Robinson and management, again, with his body with back-to-back ACL injuries.
00:28:17
Tackles and Tinnies
Australian representative. think it was Tonga representative. Fantastic. Hope he stays healthy the rest his career. He's a gun. So Keddie, middle forward, remember one of his first games, he got an offload, broke the line, big sidestep and runs about 40 minutes to score a try.
00:28:37
Tackles and Tinnies
He's the ideal modern day front rower in my eyes. Yeah, he's yeah big motor, quick leg drive, very low, stocky to the ground.
00:28:47
Tackles and Tinnies
yeah Again, modern day front rower. Does he get a spot on the extended bench? We'll see. And another guy we want to talk about again is Hugo Savala.
00:28:58
Tackles and Tinnies
Pretty hard done by with TCE coming in because he probably would get the starting 5'8 position alongside Sammy Walker. He's there to the end of next season as well. Does he stay on? I know he wants to have heard in the media from Fox Sports he wants to stay on. However, what will his role be?
00:29:17
Tackles and Tinnies
Really depends on what TCE's future looks like. Does he get a bench spot? Potentially now that Santa Smith's not there, you haven't got that utility half there anymore.
00:29:27
Tackles and Tinnies
Maybe. We'll see. We'll wait to the top 19. But I want to hear from you guys. Is Savala just a depth piece? Is he the backup or is he unlucky to miss out Let me know in the comments below.
00:29:38
Tackles and Tinnies
Also, want to know, is Connor Watson a starter or is Connor Watson just your playing utility? Again, before we get to that top 19, I want to hear from you guys in the comments section below.
00:29:51
Tackles and Tinnies
2026 draw and strength of schedule. Again, this is according to Fox Sports. So my regular listeners, you would know all well that I've been going through these in great detail. But according to the strength of schedule from Fox Sports, teams they play twice are the Rabbitohs,
00:30:04
Tackles and Tinnies
They should be better for next year or this year, I should say, 2026. Panthers, proven guns will be better for 2026. Dolphins, my opinion, should be way better in 2026. Huge, great roster. Just did their preview. Go check that one out, guys, in our Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube.
00:30:22
Tackles and Tinnies
Newcastle Knights, can they stay healthy? New coach. Yeah, we'll see. That's an awkward one. Broncos, Premiers, what more can we say?
00:30:34
Tackles and Tinnies
they're the yeah They're the people to beat the Broncos. Cowboys, definition rocks and diamonds, Who knows? But again, that's probably pretty favorable. Sharky's not ideal. Very good defensive team.
00:30:46
Tackles and Tinnies
Almost their kryptonite. Lost to them two at two games out of the the seven rounds that they played last year. So again, they're probably looking for a bit of redemption, losing to them in the finals.
00:30:58
Tackles and Tinnies
And Melbourne Storm. They've lost Pappenhausen. They've lost Nass. They've lost Eli Cartola. Potentially getting Zach Lomax. I made a little reel about that one, guys. Go check it out on my Instagram, slash TikTok YouTube Reels.
00:31:11
Tackles and Tinnies
But yeah, yeah, probably don't want me versus the storm either, but they've got the confidence knowing they can put points on. Again, they were down 10-0 at halftime in a pivotal round 26 game with everything stacked against them, including the Craig Bellamy 600 first grade games.
00:31:26
Tackles and Tinnies
They came back and put 40 points to nil in the second half. So we've got games versus top eight teams in 2025. They've got 11. Games versus top four teams in 2025 is six. Games versus outside top eight teams is 13. Games versus bottom four teams is six.
00:31:42
Tackles and Tinnies
And according the strength of schedule, their difficulty rating is number 15, which is the third easiest draw in the comp. Roosters fans, you should be absolutely cheering. i don't know if you did a smoky under the table deal with the Volandis, but yeah, you should be pretty happy, even though we know AI did it. So...
00:31:59
Tackles and Tinnies
We'll see. But again, strength of schedule, very important, particularly a team that gets affected by the origin period, which we'll talk about very shortly. They've got a soft run home. Final stretch includes the Knights, the Cowboys, Tigers, Dolphins, and they finished the season with street three straight games in Sydney.
00:32:16
Tackles and Tinnies
Pretty optimal, particularly against the Knights, Tigers, and Tigers. I predict the Dolphins will be better, but still a very winnable game. And obviously not traveling. I've piped on this for the past couple of podcasts regarding the other teams not having to travel, but three straight games in Sydney to finish off the year.
00:32:35
Tackles and Tinnies
You've got the same training ground. You've got your family. You've got all the familiarity. You've got your local coffee store you can go to. Everything can be the same. You should be winning those games, which means high potential for top four.
00:32:49
Tackles and Tinnies
We'll see. Origin advantage, you've two bars during the Origin Effective Rounds plus a clash against the Dolphins who might be Origin here. Again, you got Hamiso. You're going to probably have maybe Isaiah Katoa, maybe Tommy Gilbert, maybe Flegler, maybe Fene Fouyaki. There's going to be some guys, maybe Acobo.
00:33:09
Tackles and Tinnies
Could all be sniffing around that Origin period. So we'll see. Opportunity time for the Roosters because when we get to that top 19, guys, you're going to have probably a few guys who are going to be out during that period.
00:33:20
Tackles and Tinnies
Tough part, open away to the Warriors across the ditch and a derby with South. So again, South Sydney are projected to be better and obviously starting the season, they're going to be healthy, ideally.
00:33:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Touch wood for them. But yeah, hard game against South. And again, going to New Zealand, not ideal with logistics, training protocols, sleep, et cetera. But Warriors, again, should be better. you're getting They're getting some guns back as well.
00:33:45
Tackles and Tinnies
Wait for that preview. Also, Panthers, Seagulls, and Sharks early on. Again, we talked about the Sharks being there, a little bit of kryptonite. Panthers started so poorly last year, but I predict them to be better due to the fact that they've got no one really leaving their club and all their younger fellas are better, as well as Blaise Tolangi got another year of development.
00:34:02
Tackles and Tinnies
Plus, they've got Storm and Broncos away. so it's a real couple first couple of months. However, they do finish strong. So where it's teams generally in the first, let's say, eight rounds focus on their defense, this potent or should be potent Roosters attack might be a good opportune time to see if they can crack those teams.
00:34:23
Tackles and Tinnies
Now, projected top 19, assuming that the rule goes through, which it looks like it is. Again, this is for the people who not listened the other podcasts. This is from the Zero Tackle website, from nrl.com, from Fox Sports, and my eye test perspective, plus a synthesized version from Supercoach as well.
00:34:43
Tackles and Tinnies
Now, where I see them, at fullback, James Tedesco. Speaks for himself. He's the captain. Already gave him plenty of roses, i'll give him a little bit more. He's the dog. He's their workhorse. Best support player in the league alongside Hammer.
00:34:58
Tackles and Tinnies
James Sadesco, lock and load, number one. Very durable as well. Touch wood for you guys. On the wing, nothing changes here. Daniel Tupo, marco Mark Nwanganitawase, standard procedure from the 2025 season.
00:35:12
Tackles and Tinnies
Aerial threats, both sides, really strong yardage outside your trial line. Fantastic. Couldn't be happier with those two wingers. We've already talked about him before as well, but Billy Smith, Robert Toyer, they also hold their position from the 2025 season.
00:35:28
Tackles and Tinnies
What can we say? Robert Toyer, origin player, Billy Smith, finally healthy, finally gaining competence, arguably very good in attack and defense. Great versatility there as well.
00:35:41
Tackles and Tinnies
You've got consistency and cohesion from last year. What more can you ask, Roosters fans? In the halves, you've got Sammy Walker and Daley Cherry Evans. I've actually got Daley Cherry Evans at five eight with Sammy Walker retaining the halfback position. Supercoach also agrees with that synopsis, with Cherry Evans only getting a 5'8 only, and Sammy Walker is a halfback only on NRL Supercoach.
00:36:05
Tackles and Tinnies
Sammy Walker is more than likely going to be a goal kicker and Cherry Evans will be that more off the cuff. I kind of like that. Cherry Evans is a pretty good running game as well. He's really eyes up football.
00:36:16
Tackles and Tinnies
will be very interesting to see those two work hand-in hand in hand. going to be a very big off season for those guys. And I think Sammy Walker is essentially is the next in line for, was going to be the next in line for Cherry Evans until the ACL injury happened. He's got a big of competition now with Tommy Dearden, which is a mainstay there in Queensland.
00:36:32
Tackles and Tinnies
However, yes, Sammy Walker, gun at halfback. Cherry Evans will be that stable hand when things potentially aren't working for Walker. Let's be nice there. In their forwards, I think it's pretty set and forget as well, pretty consistent from last year regarding their main guys.
00:36:50
Tackles and Tinnies
At front row, I've got Lindsay Collins and Nafahu White, both representatives for either New Zealand or Queensland, South Australia. Lindsay Collins, workhorse, experienced, veteran presence, hard-nosed. Nafahu White, monumental upside with only at only 23 years old, only gaining confidence and experience.
00:37:11
Tackles and Tinnies
Yeah, Nafahu White is their alpha, in my opinion. He's their pack leader. But Lindsey Collin and another guy coming off the bench aren't too far behind. In the back row, this was easy with Angus Crichton.
00:37:39
Tackles and Tinnies
Again, he's got a lot to prove as well coming off contract at the end of this year. Victor Radley, I've got him at second row. Reason being is it frees up that lock position for another guy in Connor Watson, but I'll stick with Radley for a second.
00:37:52
Tackles and Tinnies
Victor Radley, very good defensively, will help out Sammy Walker on the edge. Not as dominant as a ball runner in terms of breaking the line. Still solid, don't get me wrong.
00:38:04
Tackles and Tinnies
But i think he's going to do more so defense. Again, defense is something they needed to work on. They were eighth overall. Maybe he can, if he can stay in the park, get them to like fifth or sixth.
00:38:15
Tackles and Tinnies
At 13, I've got Connor Watson. He could very easily come off the bench, but I kind of like the look of the bench that I've currently got with Watson providing a little bit more attacking flair, ruck speed, more of a linking role, bit more versatility because, again, you've got two big bops in Collins and Nafahu White.
00:38:34
Tackles and Tinnies
and a little bit less athleticism with Victor Radley, which means Connor Watson can be a bit more dynamo. And I think sniffing around guys like Sammy Walker, Cherry Evans being the link man in the middle, and then getting at the back to Tedesco, going to be pretty scary.
00:38:48
Tackles and Tinnies
And at hooker, obviously their new recruit is Reece Robson. Connor Watson can easily spell Reece Robson if need be. Okay, that's where you have the debate where Watson could come off the bench as a utility. However, Reece Robson, 100%, definitely a hooker. New South Wales representative. Fantastic service from Dummy Half. a little bit of a kicking game.
00:39:08
Tackles and Tinnies
Unreal defense. Very underrated pickup, I think. Very underrated pickup. Now, I've got the 19-man squad, so that means I've got six players on the bench. Reminder for the guys who do not know, with the six-man bench, only four of them can be selected.
00:39:24
Tackles and Tinnies
So let's say, for example, the first four guys I read, jersey 18 and jersey 19, will then be the emergency subs and will not be played unless there is foul play or multiple head knocks within the game.
00:39:36
Tackles and Tinnies
So at Jersey 14, I've got Hugo Savala. He does make my team. He yeah is big enough to play at lock. He can also be your backup half. And also I think he could play a little bit of nine as well, if need be.
00:39:50
Tackles and Tinnies
I think he deserves to still be in the squad after a fantastic 2025 season. And he is coming off contract in the coming years. You sort of want to retain him. probably the best way to retain him is keep him within the main squad.
00:40:04
Tackles and Tinnies
Jersey 15, I've got Sua Wong, impact middle slash edge forward. Could easily be a first in if Victor Radley or Connor Watson is not there. Yeah, still monumental upside for Sua Wong. Tongan representative.
00:40:19
Tackles and Tinnies
I think it's just too many guys. There's too many guys on that team to feel to get a start. But again, not too bad. Roosters fans when you get a guy like that coming off the bench. Jersey 16, I've got Spencer Lenu. What can we say? new South Wales representative, international representative as well.
00:40:33
Tackles and Tinnies
for Samoa, I believe. Yes, Samoa. He's the perfect guy coming off the bench. He's the guy who's just, Ford's a little bit tired and then, oh my God, back fence Lenu.
00:40:44
Tackles and Tinnies
Queensland didn't want to do it. Imagine club land. So yeah, Spencer Lenu got that dog, just needs to be a little bit more disciplined. That's his key. Needs to be more disciplined. Too many errors or foul play. More so probably the errors. He gets a bit flustered eye test-wise. Sometimes playing the ball too fast because he gets that quick play the ball because he finds his front really quickly.
00:41:07
Tackles and Tinnies
But yeah, Spencer Lanou, perfect off-the-bench sub in my eyes, but very well could start if there's an injury or origin time comes around. But he'll probably be for New South Wales as well.
00:41:19
Tackles and Tinnies
Nat Butcher, utility middle slash edge. He's just a workhorse. You guys know Russo's fans. Old reliable Nat Butcher and his brother as well also makes the bench, utility forward.
00:41:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Very similar to his brother. Maybe one for one. Is there too much duplicative nature between those guys when another guy in the smoky we're about to talk about could point could have a point of differentiation?
00:41:43
Tackles and Tinnies
We will see. I'd like to hear from you guys once we get to that guy though. And at Jersey 19, I've got Junior Tupo, their new recruit from Manly. Utility outside back can play wing, center, but easily play in the second row.
00:41:58
Tackles and Tinnies
He's old enough where he doesn't need to develop. He is still young enough where he has upside. Okay, so Junior Tupo, in my eyes, is the perfect 19th man. Now, some depth pieces. We talked about Cody Ramsey earlier on.
00:42:12
Tackles and Tinnies
Young outside back, probably too much depth there for him to get a crack with guys like Junior Tupo and Junior Pago. paga pago Correct my pronunciation there, guys. Butchered that one. But yeah, both those two guys have much more experience in first grade, particularly the former as he was already in the squad.
00:42:33
Tackles and Tinnies
But both those two boys, or three of those boys with Ramsey included, can provide enough depth, particularly with origin time with guys like Mark Nwongani-Tawase and Robert Toya, more than likely getting a call up for origin for both Queensland and New South Wales, respectfully.
00:42:47
Tackles and Tinnies
then next guy, Foketti. So he's the guy where i think Egan or Nat Butcher does not make the team because Foketti provides that modern day front row. I've already talked about him a little bit before, but he's the modern day front row who has that leg drive, who has that foot speed, provides a bit more athleticism, bit more dynamism as well in regards to the way he plays.
00:43:11
Tackles and Tinnies
He's like 21 years old. Does he need more time in New South Wales Cup or can he go straight into the top 19, potentially not even play? What would you, Roosters fans, what would you want? Would rather Furchetti come off the 19th man bench and potentially not play would you rather play New South Wales Cup and keep developing his game?
00:43:29
Tackles and Tinnies
I think the latter, but I want to hear from you guys in the comments. Off the bench or in New South Wales Cup? Toby Roswell, we spoke about him before. Young halfback, 19 years old. He's got a few guys in front of him with Walker, DCE and Savala in front of my eyes. However, if some of those boys go down, definitely could be a sniff to get a first grade debut. More than likely probably 20, 27 in my eyes. And again,
00:43:55
Tackles and Tinnies
and again Hugo Savala, talked about him as well. Fantastic debut season in 2025. Great long-range kick game. Big body. He's only going to grow into his body. still so young. Sammy Walker, DC goes down. He's my next man up, but he's a very good utility and he's the bridge to the next generation with her DC either going to retire at the end of 2026 2027.
00:44:19
Tackles and Tinnies
twenty twenty seven Where do you guys want Savala? Do you want him starting at number 13 maybe for over Connor Watson or do you rather come off the bench? Let me know in the comments.
00:44:30
Tackles and Tinnies
Now guys, 2026 prediction, where do they finish? I've talked about this in my other six podcasts that I've recorded, but these predictions in my eyes for this year, it's so hard.
00:44:43
Tackles and Tinnies
Okay. Obviously some of you are, you know that I'm a Titans fan. You're probably like Ryan, you're delusional. The Titans aren't making the top eight, but in my eyes, as we noticed in the 2025 ladder,
00:44:55
Tackles and Tinnies
It was so tight. Like, again, they finished at 8th place in 2025 with 13 wins, 11 losses, and plus 132. I think they'll still be fantastic in regards to their point scoring ability. I think the defense will also improve due to cohesion and experience within their middles.
00:45:13
Tackles and Tinnies
And guys like Reece Robson coming in and DCE setting high standards and obviously Robson in his own right being a very fit, strong defender in the middle. That's only going to tighten up their defense.
00:45:25
Tackles and Tinnies
Mark Nwonganitawase, another off-season, another year developing as an NRL player. I think that helps them. And again, with their fifteenth difficulty, which means they they've got the third best draw overall,
00:45:39
Tackles and Tinnies
ChatGPT's got them as a ceiling as second and their justification is if their spine stays healthy with Tedesco, Walker, DC, Robson and Ifahu, White, Lanou and Collins leading the pack through the middle, they have premiership roster quality. We've said that almost every single year, but they always seem to let us down with their consistency.
00:46:01
Tackles and Tinnies
That's their ceiling. Their floor is 7th to 8th. So if Teddy declines a bit faster than we think, DC shows his age and can't get that back into form or can't gel with Walker.
00:46:11
Tackles and Tinnies
If Bradley keeps spending time suspended or injured or guys like Connor Watson can't find his groove as a middle rotation or outside back injuries to Billy Smith happen again, what's going to happen?
00:46:24
Tackles and Tinnies
However, Prediction, prediction, prediction. I've got them actually coming fourth or fifth. Roosters fans, I know you're loving me right now.
00:46:35
Tackles and Tinnies
So there's enough improvement with the new spine, again, with Reece Robson and DC coming in, those veteran presences. I think that's going them significantly and be upgrades over Savala and Sandon Smith respectfully. And again, their roster and their depth of their roster is top tier.
00:46:52
Tackles and Tinnies
Super hard. Again, they could be one win from top four or one loss out of the top eight. I think the draw, again, as i mentioned in my previous podcast, is so tight and so hard to determine.
00:47:05
Tackles and Tinnies
But I'm confident that the Roosters, with their depth, with their top-end talent, and their younger guys developing, I think they're going to be a top-four finisher. Roosters fans, are you loving that comment? Yes or no? Let me know.
00:47:19
Tackles and Tinnies
But to finish off the show, a standard ChatGPT cap or fact prediction. Cap or fact, the 2026 Roosters are a lock, keyword lock, for a top four finish.
00:47:33
Tackles and Tinnies
I'm going to say fact. Roosters will be a top four finisher with, I predict, Melbourne Storm, assuming they don't get Zach Lomax. Actually, I think Melbourne still stands up for, I regate that. I think the Raiders drop down out of the top four and Roosters pop into the top four. That is my prediction.
00:47:55
Tackles and Tinnies
Let me know the comments, guys. Who is your top four? Am I capping with the Roosters being in the top four? Am I over projecting? Am I under projecting? What do you think? What are your thoughts on the spine combination? Where does Connor Watson play? There's so much to dissect and discuss. But again, guys, I want to hear from you.
00:48:13
Tackles and Tinnies
Now, that was the podcast. So much to talk about. so much to still find out within the preseason as well, slash offseason. But next up in the mini series, we have the Penrith Panthers. I think they're due for a big redemption round and they're going to be pretty salty losing to the Brisbane Broncos. That's the next podcast. Guys, like, subscribe, share, comment. Okay, this all helps me in the algorithm get noticed.
00:48:43
Tackles and Tinnies
Follow us on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, you name it, we're on it. Again, look up Tackles and Tinnies, tell a friend. I appreciate this. Again, all this momentum that we're gaining in this off season is really motivating me to do more content and I love talking footy. And again, I've got plenty of mates who have different favorite teams and I'm saving those podcasts for them. So a bit more conversation instead of just me rambling on for 51 minutes. But...
00:49:09
Tackles and Tinnies
I want to hear your thoughts, guys. Love you all. Appreciate you all. It's January 8th. Probably stuff's going to change as well, but we'll see you in the next one. Cheers.