'I should defend myself': Cronk replies to awkward claim

League great Cooper Cronk has defended his position as an assistant coach for the Roosters, after reports of conflict following Sam Walker's demotion.Roosters coach Trent Robinson made the shock call to drop Walker to reserve grade this week in favour of shifting Luke Keary to No.7 with Joey Manu making the move to five-eighth for the Anzac Day clash against the Dragons.The move to drop Walker led to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald stating there's tension at the Tri-Colours over the way the club should attack and that members of Walker's family have let their feelings be known to the coaching staff.The report claims that the young playmaker's family is concerned about how much input Cronk has on the style of football Walker is expected to play.It's understood the family believes the structured style of play the Roosters have employed does not suit Walker's ad-lib style of football.Cronk was asked about the claims during Fox League's pre-game coverage on Thursday."I understand it's a huge talking point and you need to ask those questions no doubt and you should grill me."But the thing about this situation is, I feel like I should defend myself and my position, but it's not about me — it's about Sam."I think he's the most important part in all of this and my job is to help Sam to be the best version of himself — both on and off the field."My job is to do that and I'll do that as long as I can. I'll give every little bit of energy I can to that. I don't think it's about me, this is about Sam and he'll be back."There is room for Sam in every team, in any structure, any play."The kid can play and if he puts a couple of things together he'll be a very dominant half in this competition for a long, long time."Walker, 20, has played 52 NRL games since making his debut in 2021, 48 of those starting at either five-eighth or halfback.His style of play can be attributed to his father Ben and uncle Shane, who both played for the Broncos before co-coaching the Ipswich Jets to their maiden Queensland Cup premiership in 2015.

'Curious' Roosters move that 'almost backfired'

Roosters coach Trent Robinson played this one differently to most of his counterparts, starting with his kids and the bringing his big names on in the second half - and it almost backfired.Curiously, the bantam Roosters did better than big names Brandon Smith, Sam Walker, Victor Radley and Matt Lodge.Ex-Parramatta back-rower Elie El-Zakham was the pick of the Roosters unknowns, while former Tigers centre Junior Pauga scored a late 90 metre intercept just when the Storm looked set to pull off an unlikely win.Things started badly for Melbourne, with star centre Justin Olam coming off early with a suspected broken arm.Storm fullback Sualauvi Faalogo, a Samoan-born local Melbourne junior, bagged two tries, running for 200-plus metres in 69 minutes and looks another Ryan Papenhuyzen - a real pocket rocket.He should play NRL at some stage of 2023 on that performance.Hooker Bronson Garlick, son of former Rooster and Rabbitoh Sean, was another to impress for the Storm.

Roosters facing finals hoodoo

The Roosters gave a good showing against the Storm at the SCG on Saturday night and could easily have won the game had a few balls stuck.But the worry for the Roosters is that while they are well in finals contention, their record against the 'big two' is dreadful.Trent Robinson's men have lost their last 10 games against Penrith or Melbourne and it's something the team will have to address before the finals.The Roosters could do some damage at the pointy end of the season - but only if they end their hoodoo against the Panthers and Storm as both are certain to be there in September.

Headaches for Robbo

The Roosters are in arguably the worst slump of Trent Robinson's long tenure at the club - and it will be interesting to see how the veteran coach reacts to the crisis.In the past month, the Roosters have had clunky wins over the lowly Broncos and Warriors followed by shock losses to the Dragons and now Bulldogs.That's four teams that aren't expected to play finals football - heaven help the Roosters when they play some of the big guns in coming weeks.What's the problem? It's hard to know where to start.The players seem to be relying far too heavily on James Tedesco - and the superstar fullback can't get them home every week.Halves Luke Keary and Sam Walker are still working on forming an effective combination and the forwards have lost their clout.The Roosters showed more spirit and determination last season when they had a shocking injury list - this season with all their big names on deck they have rarely got it right.

Roosters win reveals headache for Robbo

The Roosters played probably their best game of the season to date against the Cowboys on Saturday night - but the win exposed a massive headache for coach Trent Robinson.His troops scored six slick tries in Townsville, but could manage just two conversions.Sam Walker and James Tedesco could barely buy a goal between them in a worrying sign for the big games ahead.The Roosters out-classed the Cowboys 28-4 so it wasn't a major problem this time - but it will be in the many tight games against quality teams to come.

Upset loss raises major headache for Roosters

There was no more disappointing team in the first round than the Roosters, who were totally out-enthused by rank outsiders Newcastle at home.The Roosters' lack of energy or creativity was a real worry for coach Trent Robinson.A possible concern for the Roosters was it was the first game in which Sam Walker played alongside Luke Keary in the halves - and the pair both looked flat.Are they too similar - both tiny men with smart running games? The best halfback combinations tend to be players with different skill sets - look at Brett Kenny/Peter Sterling and Kevin Walters/Allan Langer. Time will tell if this will be a problem for the Roosters.

Sam Walker 'just getting started' after measured debut impresses Roosters coach

Boom playmaker Sam Walker is "just getting started", having played within himself during an impressive NRL debut, Roosters coach Trent Robinson says. Walker notched his first try assist and looked at home in a Sunday victory over the Warriors, having replaced champion half Luke Keary after an ACL injury. The teenage halfback has been rated a future superstar but made a point of doing the fundamentals right in his maiden first grade appearance. "A lot of people that have watched him know there's a lot of spectacular stuff," Robinson said. "But he actually decided to put that on hold while he built some good defence ... he kicked the ball and supported really well, so it was a really good foundation game for him." Robinson was pleased with Walker's composure, both pre-game and amongst the action. He put Nat Butcher over for a try when the Roosters were trailing 12-4, holding up the ball until a hole appeared and ultimately sparking his side towards a 32-12 win. "You see very different debut guys, and he was very calm, especially for the role he plays," Robinson said.

Sydney Roosters injury crisis worsens

One of the competition's heavyweights are officially on the ropes, after Roosters coach Trent Robinson confirmed that Luke Keary had suffered a suspected ACL injury. It's brutal news for the Roosters, who also lost forward Lindsay Collins and Keary's halves partner Lachlan Lam prematurely during their 26-16 loss to arch-rivals South Sydney. It's a series of brutal blows for the Roosters, who are already currently without key players such as Victor Radley, Sam Verrills, Boyd Cordner, and Jake Friend. With Lam and Keary missing at least the short-term future, the Roosters spine faces a total overhaul going into their next few games. Young gun Sam Walker and former Dragon Drew Hutchison seem the likely halves pairing going forward - but Robinson could throw a curveball and move centre Joseph Manu to five-eighth, or even give a shock debut to boom rookies Joseph Suaalii or Ronald Volkman. Robinson said his team played 'good, open footy' in the past two weeks but weren't ready for the test that came with facing one of the competition's heavyweights.