A week after being bullied by the Penrith group, the Roosters responded in kind with a drubbing of Manly’s midfielders. This was preceded by brutal training sessions where players attacked each other and pushed no boundaries.
The physical reaction on Saturday night was no coincidence, with the attackers keen to make a statement after being well contained by the Panthers in the qualifying final.
The tone was set in the first two attempts, as both prop forwards charged the line, unfortunately taking out Tolu Koula and forcing Jake Trbojevic to make a HIA, which he managed to pass.
The Roosters didn’t give up after that and finished the night with another 337 metres of running, with James Tedesco winning his milestone race.
“All the guys came in, took their meds and went nuts on each other,” said reserve bench member Spencer Leniu after the game.
“That was one of the toughest weeks we’ve had, almost pre-season vibes. We were just bashing each other to flip that switch. I’m just glad all that work paid off.
“It’s always tough love there. Last week we got a reality check. We just had to step it up. That’s what we did in practice, led by Jared who came back this week.
The secret behind Sydney Roosters’ victory over Manly Sea Eagles has been revealed
The players underwent tough training sessions to prepare for Saturday’s victory
“He lashes out at the lads, and when he does that, everyone else does that. It’s a compliment to how hard we’ve worked this week.
“It was literally (no holds barred). It was probably one of the hardest weeks I’ve ever had. I’m just really thankful that all the hard work paid off and it worked out. We were really physical out there, and that was a reflection of how we trained.”
Leniu paid tribute to veteran enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who has raised the standards in training, as the Warrior was keen to make a statement in his first game back from a three-game suspension.
“It’s a little bit of everyone, but he’s definitely the one who makes the difference,” he said.
“He’s lighting the smoke and it’s igniting everybody. Our Cup guys who aren’t playing, they were running so hard, they were running over us and pumping us up, tackling us hard too. It’s a big team effort, an all-in effort.
“Jared rips every time he touches that paddock. It was a different animal this week, just because of how we played against Penrith.
“We just took our medicine. It was a tough review looking at all those things. We just took it in stride and we had to step it up after last week. We did that this week.”
The urge to push himself to the limit in training was perfectly captured by Victor Radley, who was determined to get back on the field just three weeks after breaking his shoulder blade against the Raiders.
Not only was he a starter, he also opened the scoring before being substituted after 30 minutes to rest for the trip to Melbourne.
“It’s unbelievable. He’s just a crazy unit,” Leniu beamed.
‘All week he was saying ‘no, just throw in a shot, numb it and I’ll be back’. He was saying that all week and I was like ‘maybe you should just chill, we’ll win this week and you’ll come next week’.
“But it’s a compliment to him. He’s just a tough person, a tough person. For him to come here and put the team first is a compliment to his character and his person.
The Tricolours’ win has sent a message to Penrith ahead of their big game next week
“I love being next to him. He makes me feel like I’m 10 feet tall, like Jared and all those guys. Having him by our side gives us a boost. It’s a compliment to him and his character.”
The Roosters needed eight days to prepare for the match against Manly, but now have just six days to prepare for the Storm.
However, that does not change the approach to the preliminary round, because Leniu expects more spectacle during the training.
“That’s just how we have to prepare for these games. And final games are win at all costs,” he explained.
“If that means we have to hit each other in training, then we have to hit each other in training. That training intensity will be no different this week.”