League legend Billy Slater has given an insight into the attitude of Roosters players before they suffered a shock round one loss to the Dolphins.
It was the biggest upset the NRL has seen in years, with the brand new Redcliffe-based team downing one of the premiership favourites 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium in a stunning boilover.
Many pundits had tipped the Bondi outfit to win the premiership this year, while most sane judges had the Dolphins firmly anchored to the bottom of the table.
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On The Billy Slater Podcast, the retired Storm champion revealed Chooks players had been drinking their own bath water during pre-season, leading to a complacent approach to the opening game.
“It’s dangerous practice when you hear players speaking about, ‘we’ve got the best roster in the competition’, and that’s what I heard from some of the Roosters players over the summer,” Slater said.
“They got a real reality check.”
The Roosters have an abysmal round one record under coach Trent Robinson, having lost eight of 11 season-opening games since 2012.
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In contrast, the Storm have collected an astonishing 21 straight round one victories, and coach Craig Bellamy has never lost one since taking charge in 2003.
Slater – who played his entire career under Bellamy – explained the shock Roosters loss may not have any bearing on their chances of winning the title this year.
“We look at Craig Bellamy, who has never lost a round one game as head coach, it’s quite incredible,” Slater said.
NRL Highlights: Dolphins v Roosters – Round 1
“He’s a coach who demands performance and effort in every game from his players, whereas the Roosters strike me as a team that try to build their season.
“They know the grand final isn’t in March, they are very much aware of that.
“How much you read into that performance on the weekend, that situation, do they think, ‘well it’s not all that important’… I’m not quite sure.
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“I think it’s probably a little bit of that, a little bit of complacency. I’ve got no doubt the Roosters were complacent going up there to Brisbane.
“They were totally outplayed, and outplayed in the effort areas of the game.
“If you look at the Dolphins roster, they bought effort players. They’ve got effort players and consistent players within their team, and that’s the sort of performance you’re going to get more often than not.
“I think (the Roosters) were totally blindsided.”
The Roosters next host the Warriors on Saturday.
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