After losing James Maloney, RTS and Michael Jennings, many had the Roosters falling off their near impossible perch having claimed three-straight minor premierships.
Few, if any, saw them falling so far from grace, so quickly and with such an almighty thud.
Once feared by every team across the competition, the NRL’s former glamour club became an almost easy two-points at times in 2016.
To ensure they remained amongst the NRL heavyweights following the loss of three genuine, world-class superstar players, the tri-colours needed everything to go right.
Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth, as the club’s season descended into crisis before a ball was even passed or kicked.
Mitchell Pearce’s Australia day decisions cost his team in a huge way, although it looks as though it may have finally proven to be the wake-up call he needed as the former Origin halfback returned a seemingly different person.
Unfortunately Pearce’s absence saw youngster Jackson Hastings thrust into a senior halves spot which he was obviously not ready to fill. The early season pressure and lack of results hurt his confidence and form and have seen him suffer a huge fall from grace.
Long-term pre-season injuries to forward leaders JWH and Boyd Cordner saw the club field a hugely understrength side early on, and unfortunately their forwards battled as a result.
Aiden Guerrera’s season can be summed up in one word; disappointing. Although I fully expect him to back toward his best in 2017 and beyond, 2016 was a year to forget.
Blake Ferguson’s shaky start in the number one seemed to affect his confidence also and saw him shuffled around the backline. Ultimately he looked far better back in the centres.
Summed up, the Roosters started in horrible form and their season never really recovered as a result. Having been torn to shreds by their arch rivals, the Bunnies, in round one, most expected the depleted Roosters to bounce back.
A month into the season they were still winless. I honestly can’t remember, although I’m sure I’ll soon be reminded, when a minor premiership side started the first season without a win.
Although they did ‘avenge’ their opening round loss in round five, with a one-point win over the Bunnies, they went 1-7 in their opening eight games.
Despite the return of Mitchell Pearce, and eventually JWH and Cordner as well, the Roosters season was all but done and dusted, at least in terms of finals footy.
A few brilliant wins aside, notably a 32-16 win over the Broncos and a 22-10 win over the Cowboys, 2016 won’t be a season to remember for many fans.
Connor Watson, Latrell Mitchell, and Ryan Matterson all came a fair way in 2016, especially the young fullback, who will feature in many highlight reels in years to come, but they have a long way to go to replace the likes of RTS, Jennings and Maloney.
Despite their best efforts, the Roosters young guns, and the likes of Napa and Friend, were just unable to lead their side out of the slump their pre-season bad luck and brain explosions lead them into.
Worryingly the Roosters have signed three young players who were recently sacked from their NRL sides due to off-field issues.
I don’t really want to go into the reasons Knight, Tetevano and Carter were released and ended up at the Roosters, but the club has taken a big risk in signing three players with indifferent pasts.
Undoubtedly all three have plenty of talent, with Knight especially earmarked as a star in either the front or back row, and if given the right support, all three could be big for the club going forward.
They need the support of players like Pearce and Ferguson who have been through their own issues and managed to forge successful careers.
The club cannot afford any off-field distractions, especially early on, or there 2017 season could be a replica of their 2016 efforts.
Michael Gordon, Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner shape as absolutely vital pieces in the tri-coloured puzzle in both playing and mentoring roles.
There is absolutely no reason Trent Robinson’s men can’t be a force going forward, but perhaps big bonding sessions are best left for the time being.