It would take a brave call to claim Sydney Roosters winger Dominic Young has played his last first-grade game for the 2025 NRL season, but it may not be all that far off the mark.
Young was, after weeks of speculation that it could be the case, dropped to reserve grade for Friday afternoon's Anzac Day clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
It came on the back of his ball handling and defence, and was a brave, yet needed call from coach Trent Robinson that seemingly had been weeks in the making.
With other outside backs Daniel Tupou, Billy Smith, Robert Toia and Mark Nawaqanitawase all fit at the same time, though for the first time in 2025, it was decided Young would be left out to face the Dragons.
The result?
A 46-18 mauling for the tri-colours where Nawaqanitawase found his way over the tryline and added 191 metres at his new home on the wing, and Toia was again strong without lighting up the stats sheet.
The bigger issue for Young, who didn't get on the field at all this weekend given the Roosters had the bye in the NSW Cup, was defence.
Coach Robinson admitted the combination between Nawaqanitawase and Toia will need work, but confirmed that's what the club will aim towards.
Given they only leaked a single try down their edge and otherwise looked very strong in defence, Young's chances of a recall anytime soon seem distant.
"Rob Toia is a very good player, and I thought Mark adapted well. He had to get in the way and had one or two errors there, but there is a lot of busyness to his game," Robinson said on his new combination out wide.
"There are a lot of things that happen when he is on the field.
"That keeps everyone on their toes, but we need to keep improving that combination."
Young's defensive output has him tackling at only 76 per cent this year, but it's more than you can see on the stats sheet. The decision making has simply been poor more often than not, and it has played a significant role in the Roosters conceding 220 points across their eight games to date.
It's a number which gives them the second-worst defensive record in the competition, with the tri-colours letting in scores of 50, 32, 30 and 40 across their eight games to date.
The 18 points conceded against the Dragons was their third-best defensive performance of the year, although given the way the game was played, and that one of the Dragons' tries was a consolation at the end to Tyrell Sloan, you could very easily make the argument it was the best the tri-colours have looked in defence all year.
That is, of course, going to come with time and can't only be blamed on one edge, given the amount of youth they have right throughout their side.
It also goes without saying Trent Robinson's team are going to come up against far scarier and better opposition than the Dragons, who are still developing their own combinations after a chaotic off-season of wheeling and dealing, but there were too many positives in the performance to suggest Young is going to be rushed back into the top grade.
Even in attack, the argument could be made the Roosters looked better with the Rugby Sevens convert on the wing.
In truth, that was the position he was always earmarked to play when he arrived at the Roosters. You could probably pinpoint Daniel Tupou re-signing as the exact moment the Roosters realised they needed experience and talent without worrying about positions first and foremost, as the time Nawaqanitawase's primary position became centre.
But his first outing on the wing proves that's probably where he should belong moving forward, and potentially, where he will be considered for representative honours in the coming years.
His 191 metres was well and truly ahead of anything Young has produced this year. In fact, the English winger has only cracked 150 metres on a single occasion this season and is averaging just 109 per game.
Premierships are won off territory and possession, and so much of that in the modern game starts in the back five.
You only need to look at what the Penrith Panthers have built their four straight premierships on to understand the importance of running metres and strong starts to sets.
Dylan Edwards and Brian To'o have led the way at the foot of the mountains, but it often hasn't mattered who is playing - they have simply found ways to get the job done time and time again.
The Roosters have been similar in that regard for several years, with Daniel Tupou one of the competition's hardest workers.
Young certainly was that last year when he averaged 139 metres per game. His drop off at both ends of the park has been dramatic in 2025 though, and his axing from first-grade came at the right time.
For now, it's going to hold.
For how long it holds is all down to Big N and Toia. Two young guns paving the way for the Roosters to build into the future.
