Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson has lauded the leadership on show by a pair of his senior forwards during their big win over the Broncos on Thursday night.
While the Tri-Colours proved able to skip home to a 34-16 victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the integral win wasn't without consequence, with Chooks wunderkind Sam Walker the target of chagrin during the first half.
Despite ending the night with a pair of tackle busts and a try assists, Walker drew the ire of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves following Angus Crichton's efforts to cross the chalk in the seventh minute.
The Kiwi forward and his nine-fingered partner made gestures towards Walker after a previously busted play, with Victor Radley also signalling at the 20-year-old to improve his vision.
Though each action remained stark to usual post-try celebrations, Walker remained unphased for the remainder of the clash, slotting five conversations over the course of the rout.
Following the final hooter, Robinson heaped praise on Waerea-Hargreaves, stating that the 33-year-old had played his hand perfectly.
“Jared’s coached as many players as I have, so that’s his role (on the field),” Robinson told the media scrum.
“We care about the way that we play the game and we feel like we can get better.
“These guys are coaching each other to go ‘Come on. We want more. Come on, let’s get beyond that. Don’t do that. Let’s get better’.
“We‘ve got more in us and the coach isn’t going to decide that, it’s those guys on the field nailing it.
“Our best is yet to come because of what we‘re talking about with Jared."
Robinson went on to delineate that further discussions were held post-game, with Waerea-Hargreaves central to those too.
“Jared wants more and Teddy (James Tedesco) talked about it after the game to the team (saying) ‘I like some of the stuff but I want more’,"
“But we feel like we‘ve worked hard enough this year and tried different things that it’s time to play better.”
While the two points obtained ahead of the weekend have seen the Moore Park side retain their place in the eight, the Roosters face a stiff run home, with clashes against the Cowboys, Tigers, Storm and Rabbitohs on the horizon.
Their final fixture is set to represent the first NRL fixture played at the new Sydney Football Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:44pm (AEST) on Friday, September 2.
