A halfback.
Trent Robinson doesnโt leave anything to chance. The successful coach fastidiously plans everything. He is not the type of coach that will gamble on a solution to the only seemed weakness in the Roosters' armoury, halfback.
After signing young half Kyle Flanagan to replace the most successful half in the NRL era in Cooper Cronk, the Roosters shocked most when they told Flanagan to move on after what many would consider a successful first season for the youngster.
Failure is not an option at the Roosters. Mitchell Pearce was sensationally punted in favour of the Storm legend, but the axing of Flanagan was quite ruthless.
It would seem Flanagan was made the scapegoat for the Roosters not achieving its 3rd consecutive Premiership. So what pressure does that put on the next chosen halfback?
The Roosters have young halves with Lachlan Lam and the untried Sam Walker. They also have Luke Keary, who could easily transition into the halfback role if necessary.
However, I canโt see the reasoning of offloading Flanagan without the Roosters having a plan to replace him with a better option. When the Chooks godfather Nick Politis wants a player, he tends to get them.
Whether they sign a halfback for the 2021 season or perhaps the following year we will have to wait and see. No rumours are being heard of any potential inquiries, but that is not to say there arenโt any discussions happening behind the scenes, with plenty of proven names on offer.
This would include Benji Marshall, who potentially could play a similar role as Cronk, while Brodie Croft could be surplus to the Broncos after a less than impressive first year. You can even throw in Marshall's partner in Luke Brooks, a player with plenty to prove at Concord.
All three are experienced and would add value to the Roosters and thrive under the coaching of Robinson. Alternatively, Robinson goes ahead with his young talent for the coming season. Either way, all will be answered in the coming weeks and months ahead.
The Roosters still have a very strong squad. They have kept the core of its back-to-back premiership teams and have added by development or recruitment to strengthen the squad.
The return from injury of rising stars Victor Radley and Sam Verrills will bolster their forward stocks. Radley in particular a huge loss after going down early in the season.
The future of captain Boyd Cordner must be a concern for the Roosters. A series of head injuries threaten his immediate playing future. Letโs hope the Blues skipper can return in 2021.
If he isnโt able to line up for the Tricolours it would be a huge loss, but the Roosters have such depth within its squad they can move ahead without him.
The scary proposition for opposing teams is not only do the Roosters have a team made up of mostly representative players, they have some good young talent coming through.
Billy Smith, Daniel Fifita, Christian Tuipulotu, Walker and Freddy Lussick will all be pushing for opportunities in 2021.
If Trent Robinson can solve the halfback dilemma the Roosters will be challenging the Panthers, Storm and Raiders for the 2021 title.
