Robinson proves the new coach superstar
TRENT Robinson last night emerged as the NRL’s new super coach after orchestrating the Roosters’ 21-6 grand final upset win over Melbourne.
His Chooks claimed their second NRL premiership in his six seasons at the club in emphatic fashion against the competition’s best team of the past decade.
The Roosters were simply sensational at ANZ Stadium, upstaging Melbourne with a clinical display of power orchestrated by Robinson.
Robinson’s 100th win in the NRL was one of his finest as it came against arguably the competition’s best coach in Melbourne mentor Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy, 59 on Wednesday, was overseeing his 422nd game in charge of the Storm, and eighth grand final, putting him 264 games ahead of the 41-year-old Robinson (158th game).
Robinson conjured the ultimate ruse, foxing the Storm over the availability of star halfback Cooper Cronk before blowing Melbourne away with a title-winning game plan.
Knowing Cronk was near physically useless because of a “severe” shoulder injury, he instead used the 349-game NRL legend as an on-field coach to guide the Roosters through every play.
Chooks skipper Boyd Cordner revealed that Cronk played the decider with a broken scapula.
That allowed Luke Keary to take control of the Roosters in a career-defining performance where he stepped out of the shadows to prove he was a genuine NRL superstar.
The Storm made five errors inside the opening 25 minutes and another in their first set of the second half when trailing 18-0. It was the most un-Melbourne performance of the season and, unfortunately for the Storm, it came in the biggest game of the year.