Tedesco’s blunt message to critics

Roosters skipper James Tedesco says there’s still a belief at the club that they can make the top eight, while he also defended his recent trip to Byron Bay that he thinks only became a story once the media got involved.

Tedesco earnt a rare week off when coach Trent Robinson told him to get away from rugby league following the third State of Origin game in which the Blues skipper had his best game of the series.

The Roosters veteran missed the loss to the Storm, with Golden Boot winner Joseph Manu filling in at fullback, and came back the following week looking like the Tedesco of old in a big win over the Titans.

The decision to miss the Storm game was criticised by some given the Roosters didn’t win, but Tedesco is adamant that it was the right call.

“When you’re not going too well and the team’s not going well, then people kick you while you’re down,” said Tedesco, who had a hectic 2022 campaign with the Roosters, Blues and the Kangaroos at the World Cup in England.

“It was a team decision by Robbo and there were no problems with it until someone wrote about it and it became a media storm.

“It didn’t affect me too much. I just wanted to go out and play some good footy, and I felt like I did that.

“I always want to play. It was never a case of me wanting a break or that sort of stuff. Last year after Origin we were sort of fighting for the eight as well and I kept playing, and I was happy to do that again.

“I would never say ‘I need a break and I don’t want to play’. I want to play and do my best for the club, but Robbo planned it weeks before.

“I’ve got all the trust in Robbo and he told me to get away and not think about footy for a bit, so that was what it was.

“There was nothing wrong with that until someone wrote about it.”

Tedesco was terrific in the win over the Titans, but the belief they got from that result was quickly burst by the Broncos who belted them last week.

“I thought we could get on a bit of a roll and play some good footy, but the Broncos just outplayed us which was disappointing,” he said.

“There is still a lot of belief and faith (that we can make the top eight). We have to win every game – that’s plain and simple – so we just have to go out and execute now which we haven’t done consistently enough this year.”

The Roosters sit in the bottom four and must win their final five games to finish on 32 competition points, which might not be enough for them to sneak into the top eight.

It’s a shock scenario given they were one of the favourites at the start of the year, but Tedesco said it was on him to keep the rest of the team upbeat heading into Thursday’s game against Manly.

“There’s probably a bit less of a weight on my shoulders,” he said after copping it during the Origin series.

“I know there’s a lot of external noise, and there’s been pressure on the club all year because we haven’t been performing, but if I carry that into the games, then the rest of the team feels it, especially with me being captain.

“At the Roosters, we’re expected to be at the top winning premierships. When you’re not up there, there is that bit of pressure on why you’re not performing.

“For me, it’s about making everyone else not feel like that and letting it filter throughout the team because if everyone else feels like that, then we’re going to be even worse.

“That’s been clear for me over the past couple of weeks to instil belief and making sure that we’re all sure on what we need to go out and do and to back ourselves.

“Throughout the whole year, when things haven’t gone our way, we’ve all dropped our heads and that’s resulted in bad losses.

“We’ve just got to go out and win because we’ve got no second chances and nothing to lose.”