A week after being bullied by the Penrith pack, the Roosters responded in kind with a thrashing of the Manly media that was set up by brutal “no holds barred” training sessions where players attacked each other.
The physical response on Saturday night was no fluke, with the forwards eager to make a statement after being well contained by the Panthers in the qualifying final.
The tone was set on the first two carries with both forwards charging to the line, which unfortunately took Tolu Koula out of the contest and forced Jake Trbojevic out for a HIA which he passed.
The Roosters didn’t give up after that and finished the night with 337 more metres of running when James Tedesco scored his historic match goal.
“All the guys came in, took their meds and really attacked each other,” backup prop Spencer Leniu said after the game.
‘That was one of the toughest weeks we’ve had, almost like we were in preseason. We were attacking each other to flip that switch. I’m happy all that work paid off.
“It’s always tough out there. Last week we realized the reality. We just needed to take another step. That’s what we did in training, led by Jared’s return this week.
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The players underwent brutal training sessions to prepare for Saturday’s victory.
“He’s tearing the boys apart, and if he’s doing it, then everyone else is doing it too. It’s a credit to how hard we’ve worked this week.”
“It was literally (no restrictions). It was probably one of the toughest weeks I’ve had. I’m very grateful that all the hard work paid off and it turned out well. We were very physical and that was a reflection of how we trained.”
Leniu credited veteran enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for raising standards in training, with the Warriors prop eager to make a statement in his first game back after a three-game suspension.
“It’s a little bit of each, but he’s definitely the guy who scores,” he said.
‘He creates the smoke and everything is lit up with the rest. Our Cup boys who are not playing, they were running very hard, running us down and pressuring us, they were tackling us hard as well. It’s a great team effort, a total effort.
“Jared hits the ground running every time he hits that paddock. This week was a different beast, just because of how we played against Penrith.
“We just took our medication. It was a tough analysis to see everything that happened. We just accepted it and had to step up after last week. We did that this week.”
The desire to push himself to the limit in practice was summed up perfectly by Victor Radley, who was determined to return to the field just three weeks after fracturing his scapula against the Raiders.
Not only did he start, but he also opened the scoring before being substituted after 30 minutes to rest before the trip to Melbourne.
“It’s incredible. It’s a completely crazy unit,” Leniu smiled.
“All week long he was telling me, ‘No, give me a shot to numb me and I’ll be fine.’ That’s what he was saying all week long and I was like, ‘Maybe you better relax, we’ll win this week and you come next week.'”
“But that is a credit to him. He is a tough person, with a firm character. The fact that he has arrived and put the team first is a credit to his character and his person.
The Tricolours’ win has sent a message to Penrith ahead of their big game next week.
“I love being around him. He makes me feel ten feet tall, like Jared and all the other guys. Having him on our side gives us a boost. It’s a credit to him and his character.”
The Roosters had eight days to prepare for the game against Manly, but only have six days to prepare for the Storm.
That won’t change the way they approach the preliminary final, though, and Leniu is expecting more fireworks in training.
“This is how we have to prepare for these matches. And the final matches are won at any cost,” he said.
“If that means we have to hit each other in training, then we’ll have to hit each other in training. That training intensity will be no different this week.”