The Roosters earned their crown & Cherry-Evans showed exactly why they bought him
Newcastle's heart couldn't overturn control
With 57 per cent possession and the Knights making approximately 445 tackles, this was a contest that could have finished three or four tries apart. Instead, Newcastle kept turning up for each other, defending from the inside and refusing to let the scoreboard reflect the punishment.
Sandon Smith's kicking game and the Roosters' chase sustained that pressure; Newcastle's weaker chase was probably the price of spending so much energy defending.
The Knights deserve more than a consoling pat on the head. Without Dylan Brown, Trey Mooney, Jacob Saifiti and the suspended Phoenix Crossland, they still reached the decider. Justin Holbrook's decision to start Thomas Cant at dummy half before introducing Harrison Graham asked a forward to handle an unfamiliar job, and I reckon Cant handled it wonderfully.
Newcastle have experience and returning reinforcements to build around. They also have the harder lesson: bravery keeps you close, but it doesn't guarantee another invitation.
Cherry-Evans bought the right point
Daly Cherry-Evans justified his recruitment with a field goal that understood the contest better than anyone waiting for a more glamorous finish.
Plenty of players would have kept chasing a try; Cherry-Evans recognised that one point could force Newcastle to win the game twice. Ultimately, it got the Roosters home.
His grubber that struck the post benefited from a fortunate bounce, but the placement was good and his performance rock solid. Luck doesn't cancel judgement.
Sam Walker didn't have his best game, although his goal kicking was good. I thought taking the penalty goal looked odd in context, but grand finals demand that you collect the points available. Cherry-Evans delivered the clearest demonstration of why.
Tedesco needs no manufactured ranking
James Tedesco's greatness needs no argument about which club legend he has supposedly overtaken: 388 metres from 38 runs in a grand final makes its own case.
He tried to carry the Roosters on his back, and his Clive Churchill Medal sits comfortably alongside two Dally M medals and five Dally M Fullback of the Year awards. This wasn't reputation doing the running.
I've got Billy Slater a shandy ahead as the best fullback I've seen, with Tedesco firmly in the conversation about the finest of the past decade. But comparing Tedesco with Brad Fittler, who played a different position, produces more noise than insight.
Respect the club greats without turning every achievement into an eviction notice for somebody else's legacy.
Robinson made the recruitment work
Does assembling an outstanding roster make winning a premiership inevitable? Of course not. Nick Politis deserves enormous credit for the talent the Roosters attract. But recruitment gets players through the door. Trent Robinson has to turn them into a team. His fourth premiership is the strongest possible answer to anyone inclined to confuse those two jobs.
I reckon the most revealing part of this title is not the big-name shopping. It is the combination of an established recruit such as Daly Cherry-Evans with the next generation: Siua Wong, Salesi Fuiketi, Billy Smith and Bobby Toia. Fuiketi earned his starting opportunity this season. Wong became a regular starter. Those are substantial responsibilities in a side built to win now, not somewhere down the track when the development brochure promises everything will come together.
The investment in an elite junior academy matters here. The Roosters studied European soccer development systems and built a pathway designed to identify and bring through quality young talent. That gives the coach options. It does not absolve him of the difficult decisions about when a player is ready, what role he can handle and how he fits alongside the established stars. Buying experience and developing youth are not competing strategies. Robinson made them work together.
Nor did this premiership arrive via an uninterrupted procession. The Roosters lost to Penrith in the finals, regrouped and won their way through. Spencer Leniu spent the entire preliminary final on the bench, then delivered an aggressive, influential grand final stint. Coaching a talented roster still means making uncomfortable calls; there is no obligation to distribute minutes according to reputation.
Robinson won in his first season in 2013, went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and has now won again seven years later. That is sustained success across changing teams, not one fortunate collection of footballers. Politis supplies the possibilities. Robinson makes the decisions. Both deserve their credit, but the coach's contribution cannot be reduced to keeping the keys warm.
Australia must pick form, not souvenirs
The Kangaroos should start Tedesco at fullback for the Rugby League World Cup, while a premiership ring shouldn't automatically settle Sam Walker's selection.
I'm not completely sold on Walker after the decider, nor am I declaring him out. With Mitch Moses, Cameron Munster and Tom Dearden available, Dearden covering multiple positions, the question is whether a 24-man squad needs four halves.
I've heard David Fifita is included, and Selwyn Cobbo will be there. Both deserve credit for getting back to good football. I think Tommy Turbo will be the other winger and Bostock will make the squad after an outstanding season, with his centre cover useful.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand's combination of James Fisher-Harris, Naufahu Whyte and Tupou is formidable. Australia's selectors cannot afford to treat this tournament as a victory lap.
Club loyalty includes protecting the body
Penrith's Australian captain should get his ruptured pec dealt with rather than push surgery further down the calendar.
At 31, with a new three-year contract and an enormous workload behind him, longevity matters. I understand the pull of captaining Australia, but from Penrith's perspective the sensible call is to freshen him up. Whether he'll be ready for the start of next year is unclear; I wouldn't think so.
South Sydney's centre presents a different version of the same question by playing in a community tournament after only 11 club appearances. Heritage matters, but so does availability, particularly entering his final contract year. Isaiah Tass's ACL injury in that competition last year illustrates the risk without any need for melodrama.
I'm sure participation would have been cleared with Souths. Approval, however, doesn't make a robust footballer capable of playing in a dinner suit. For contracted players, I reckon the injury risk outweighs the reward.
