Real reason for brutal Roosters axing laid bare

Round one of the 2021 NRL season has officially been ticked off, and in a season like no other with new rules being tested for the first time, fans were given a glimpse of just how destructive the game's top teams can become.

Here's what we learned from the first eight games of the season.

Real reason for brutal Roosters axing laid bare

The Roosters surprised many at the end of last season when they axed halfback Kyle Flanagan, who signed with the Bulldogs after a frank conversation with Trent Robinson.

Although many pundits criticised the Tricolours for scapegoating Flanagan following their unsuccessful attempt at an NRL three-peat, the Roosters backed the brutal coach's call in their first game of the season with a 46-4 thumping over the Sea Eagles.

While 22-year-old half Lachlan Lam didn't set the world alight against Manly, the move to get Keary on the ball in a genuine No.7 role was a roaring success, with the triple-premiership winner expertly guiding the Roosters' attack.

And it was Robinson's desire to empower Keary as the halfback that ultimately led his decision to send Flanagan packing. While Flanagan is a game managing half who will play that role with the Bulldogs, Lam can establish himself in the NRL playing second fiddle to one of the best playmakers in the business, focusing on his running game which is one of his big strengths and adds potency to a Roosters backline that looked electric against Manly.

Flanagan's departure also clears the path for Sam Walker, the 18-year-old prodigy who is tipped to be one of the NRL's next big things.

Walker featured for the North Sydney Bears during their loss to Blacktown yesterday and showed plenty of positive signs. He finished with three try assists, one of which involved teen sensation Joseph Suaalii, with the pair likely to become a handy combination in years to come for the club.

New rules favouring top sides

With six-again restarts now awarded for 10-metre infringements as well as ruck violations, the ball was clearly in play for longer and as we saw on the weekend, extra fatigue is opening up the play.

And already a trend is emerging as a by-product, with the faster tempo of matches widening the gap between the strong teams and the weaker ones.

While Round 1 often throws up confounding upsets, unpredictability was out the window at the weekend, with the favourites winning and winning well.

The two clashes that were billed as coin flips – the season-opener between the Storm and the Rabbitohs and the Saturday afternoon clash between the Warriors and Titans, were only somewhat close, with the Storm winning by eight while the Warriors ran away with a game that started off fairly even.

Outside of those it was blow-out central, with the favourites getting on top and then flexing.

The average winning margin across the eight matches was a whopping 17.86, with the Knights, Warriors, Roosters, Panthers, Raiders and Sharks, all winning by more than two converted tries.

Total errors across the round was at 205, slightly up from last year's opening round which was 196.

What we saw in Round 1 was predicted last week by Immortal Andrew Johns who told Wide World of Sports the new rules would widen the gulf between the top and bottom teams.

"The difference this year between the really strong teams and the weak teams is going to get bigger and bigger," Johns said.

Meanwhile, fellow rugby league great, Peter Sterling, was also made to look like an oracle after telling Wide World of Sports he feared defence would go out the window.

"Our game is about attack and defence – we don't want it to be a 50/50 split, we want it to be about 60/40 to the attacking team. But when it starts to be more than that, then I have grave concerns for our game – and I think we're really pushing that boundary," Sterling said.

"It's all attack-oriented. And the problem for the defensive team is there are so few opportunities to halt momentum."

Schuster problem highlighted by Manly woes

The pressure is on Manly coach Des Hasler to find a way to win without Tom Trbojevic following Saturday's thrashing at the hands of the Roosters.

While Hasler now finds his name in the headlines with his coaching at the club seemingly clouded, the inclusion of 19-year-old young gun Josh Schuster will be on the minds of many fans.

If Manly can't improve and more thrashings come as a result, Schuster, who yesterday featured in the halves for Sea Eagles' feeder club Blacktown during their win over the North Sydney Bears, could be the way forward for the club.

The young playmaker is currently stuck behind veteran Kieran Foran, who's been given the nod to start in the halves alongside skipper Daly Cherry-Evans. Whether Hasler decides to throw Schuster in at five-eighth, or even put him in the No.13 jersey by tweaking his line-up, it will be an interesting decision to ponder for the premiership-winning coach.

It's a particularly interesting situation given Schuster is one of the most highly-rated young players in rugby league and has been vocal about his expectation that he breaks into the first grade side as a regular in 2021.

Should he continue to be left out, expect to see more speculation that he'll be on his way out the exit door, which would no doubt infuriate many Sea Eagles plans who see him as a future face of the franchise.

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