Billy Slater lifts the cover on the Roosters players’ boastful comment that spelled trouble for the Bondi boys before their shock loss to the Dolphins.
Billy Slater has blamed the Sydney Roosters’ shock Round 1 loss to the Dolphins squarely on the Tricolors underestimating their opponents.
The Dolphins marked their NRL debut with a stunning 28-18 comeback at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, with veteran super-coach Wayne Bennett once again proving the doubters wrong.
Widely tipped as pre-season premiership favourites, the Roosters came back to earth with a thud and Slater suggested the Chooks were guilty of believing the pre-season hype.
“It’s a dangerous practice when you hear players say, ‘We’ve got the best roster in the competition,’ and that’s what I heard from some of the Roosters players over the summer,” Slater said in The Billy Slater Podcast.
‘They got a real reality check.’
The Sydney Roosters suffered a shock Round 1 loss against the Dolphins on Sunday.
The Dolphins came back to win 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium on their NRL debut
The failure of the Dolphins to secure a notable signing ahead of their inaugural season in the league raised major questions about their prospects of being competitive in their first campaign in the league.
But Slater suggested that the result against the Roosters showed that the Dolphins had recruited shrewdly, and the players already believed in Bennett’s straightforward philosophy.
“I have no doubt that the Roosters were pleased to go to Brisbane,” said the Queensland coach.
They were totally outclassed and outclassed in the effort areas of the game.
‘If you look at the Dolphins’ roster, they bought effort players.
“They have players who work hard and have consistent players on their team, and that’s the kind of performance you’ll get most of the time.
‘Believe [the Roosters] they were totally surprised.
Since Trent Robinson took over as head coach in 2012, the Roosters have been notoriously slow to start, losing eight of their opening 11 season games.
Roosters boss Trent Robinson (left) admitted his team was outplayed by the Dolphins, while captain James Tedesco (right) admitted the Chooks need to improve before Round 2.
Billy Slater believes the Roosters were guilty of underestimating the Dolphins
Slater, however, acknowledged that having a losing star won’t necessarily jeopardize the Roosters’ chances this season.
‘They know that the grand final is not in March, they are very aware of that.
‘How much do you read into that performance on the weekend, that situation, they think, ‘Well, it’s not that important’? […] I’m not so sure.’
The Roosters host the Warriors in Round 2 on Saturday, before welcoming the Rabbitohs a week later, when the two Sydney rivals meet for the first time since the Bunnies won a brutal 30-14 elimination final in September. .