Cash fails to deliver results
RUGBY LEAGUE: The two highest-profile NRL players on the market at the end of last season were Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco, but there was no frenzied bidding.
Both signed with the affluent Sydney Roosters, who immediately became hot favourites to win the premiership.
Yet tonight, the Roosters travel to Cronulla seventh on the ladder and equal with eight others who have lost two from two.
Worse still, their colours have been lowered by the Tigers and Warriors, two teams most good judges considered would finish at the rear of the field in 2018.
But the Roosters aren’t the only high fliers finding it difficult to live up to lofty expectations.
The Cowboys, last year’s grand finalists and buoyed by the return of Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, are one from three and sitting 13th; premiers Melbourne has lost to the Tigers and Sharks and are sixth; the talent-loaded Broncos are desperately lucky to have two wins on the board; and the once much-fancied Eels are stone, motherless last.
Phil Gould – in my book the smartest mind in the game – said on Channel 9’s 100% Footy this week that four rounds into the competition was not panic time. But, he conceded, teams struggling now needed to slip into gear sooner rather than later.
And while he is obviously spot-on with those sentiments, the question that begs to be asked is “why”. Why have these teams, stacked with talent, slumped to such poor starts?
And why are players, so well paid in this era and so expertly prepared – both physically and mentally – delivering such erratic performances.
The Broncos are a textbook example. Admittedly they lost some regular first-graders in the off-season, but still have a roster boasting a dozen internationals.
But despite having the most lavish training facility of any sporting club in the land, as well as every conceivable advantage over most NRL clubs, they have started the season poorly.
And the Cowboys, given their potent roster, have been even worse.
Critics could find excuses for the Storm, who lost four big names including the aforementioned Cronk and are obviously taking time to settle. And the Eels have been seriously hit by injuries to key men.
But no reason – or excuse – can be offered for the Roosters, who added two million-dollar players to the already impressive roster that last season won 20 of 24 premiership games and finished second on the ladder.
Surely, as must also be the case with the Cowboys and Broncos, the issue is more mental than physical.
With a $10 million salary cap, could cash be leading to comfort, and creating soft minds? After all, the Roosters were one of five teams last weekend that scored first but were beaten.
While not quite D-Day, tonight at Shark Park fans will be able to make a frank assessment on whether Cronk and Tedesco are influential enough to deserve their million-dollar price tag.