Trent Robinson says Sandon Smith “after all” stays a part of the Sydney Roosters’ long-term plans regardless of the coach’s eyebrow-raising name to desire Chad Townsend for an NRL recall.
Townsend, 34, will face former aspect Cronulla on Friday for his first NRL recreation since spherical 5 because the Roosters start a brief stint with out injured rookie playmaker Hugo Savala (wrist).
Smith and Savala have been the Roosters’ halves pairing for almost all of a strong season whereas the membership waited for first-choice halfback Sam Walker to recuperate from knee and thumb accidents.
When Savala pulled up sore from final week’s win over St George Illawarra, Smith appeared the likeliest man to play subsequent to Walker for the newly-fit halfback’s second recreation of 2025.
Sandon Smith kicks. (Picture by Jason McCawley/Getty Pictures)
However Robinson stated he and Smith have had two conversations by which the coach has informed the 22-year-old junior product he should enhance earlier than he can return to the highest flight.
“We’ve had them after the final recreation after which once more on Monday arvo,” he stated.
“There’s been some good footy, however we actually need that mixture and having the ability to nail your position within the mixtures round you.
“I do know Sandon can play higher.”
Smith is contracted till the top of subsequent season so might start negotiating with rival golf equipment for 2027 in November.
If the Roosters had been to signal Daly Cherry-Evans as anticipated, he would fall additional down the pecking subsequent season, seemingly the fourth-choice half behind Walker, Savala and the mooted recruit.
Robinson wouldn’t specify how Smith might enhance, however was emphatic when requested whether or not he was nonetheless a part of the membership’s plans.
“After all,” he stated.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson talks with Sam Walker. (Picture by Ezra Shaw/Getty Pictures)
“I simply made it clear on what he’s bought to do and what he’s bought to do in reserve grade and what we’re anticipating of him.”
Robinson stated his halves choice was additionally about rewarding premiership winner Townsend, dropped at the Roosters this yr to assist nurture the younger halves.
“It’s very nice once you inform a 280-odd gamer that he’s enjoying once more, the fervour and the enjoyment that’s in somebody’s eyes once you inform them that,” Robinson stated.
“His character has been unbelievable throughout this time period, his help and his teaching of the opposite guys and his power that goes to order grade, it’s fairly uncommon.
“He’s an actual pupil of the sport. He’s one of many solely gamers that’ll take dwelling the stats package deal and research the sport on his pc at dwelling. He’s a footy nerd.
“He deserves his likelihood.”
Robinson anticipated Walker would enhance over the approaching weeks after a hot-and-cold efficiency in opposition to the Dragons, his first NRL recreation in additional than 300 days.
“He has bought loads to go. It was nice to have him again, he’s good power,” Robinson stated.
“He’ll begin to construct these mixtures each minute that he performs, each coaching session he has with them.”
Johns slams ‘full mess’ Knights
Immortal halfback Andrew Johns has slammed the Knights over what he calls “junior mismanagement and recruitment blunders that stretch again 20 years”.
Newcastle are on the verge of claiming goodbye to their highest-paid star in Kalyn Ponga and sacking their coach Adam O’Brien, each of them two years out from the top of their contracts.
Johns, who was the lynchpin of the membership’s solely two premierships in 1997 and 2001, stated Ponga was entitled to make a change to rugby with the Knights set to enter yet one more rebuild.
“Placing it politely, it’s a whole mess,” Johns wrote in his Sydney Morning Herald column.
“If Kalyn requests a launch from the final two years of his contract, I say goodbye, good luck and thanks in your service to the Knights.
“The chilly, onerous reality is he gained’t win a premiership at Newcastle. A number of senior gamers – Leo Thompson, Jackson Hastings, Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington – are going to observe Daniel Saifiti out the door and one other rebuild looms.
“He is an outstanding, freakish athlete and doubtless deserves to be on the world stage that rugby can provide. If he actually desires to go to rugby, it’s time to let him go.”
Johns stated O’Brien had “executed a great job underneath excessive strain in a league-mad city” to get the staff to the finals in 4 of his six years on the helm “however he has been let down terribly by instability round him”.
He pointed to the truth that the membership has churned by way of Troy Pezet, Alex McKinnon, Clint Zammit, Adam Doyle and now Peter O’Sullivan as recruitment chiefs since 2018 and that they’ve didn’t money in on their huge junior nursery.
Johns believes the membership wants to return to the mantra that was set of their basis yr of 1988 that gamers “needed to be powerful, you had to have the ability to deal with, and also you needed to have loads of tomorrows – that means you had a future forward of you”.
“The Knights are a growth membership, constructed from inside as a result of they simply can’t compete with richer, extra highly effective rivals.”
Ponga, about whom rumours of a change to rugby union have swirled across the NRL world in latest days, took to Instagram reaffirming his dedication to the Knights.
“Dedicated to the top of 2027. Excited concerning the imaginative and prescient of the membership. Respect those who help me!” he wrote on Instagram.
Kalyn Ponga. (Picture by Scott Gardiner/Getty Pictures)
Phins wish to lock Herbie down long run
The Dolphins will make re-signing star centre Herbie Farnworth a precedence as they put together to deal with a stunning damage toll in opposition to North Queensland.
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf confirmed the membership’s intention to maintain the England worldwide past 2026 with the 26-year-old anticipated to be a chief goal of Perth and each rugby league and union golf equipment.
Farnworth stated not too long ago he was trying ahead to enjoying in opposition to the Bears, not for them in 2027.
On Tuesday he added that he had no real interest in a cross-code change and supposed to remain on the Dolphins for “a protracted, very long time”.
Gamers of his calibre are uncommon and whereas he’s set to be in demand, Woolf made it clear the Dolphins had the funds and intention to maintain Farnworth long run.
“It’s a precedence of ours,” Woolf stated.
“I like what Herbie brings. I really like his persona and presence across the group and him as a participant.
“He’s a man we wish to be a Dolphin going ahead and construct the staff round.
Herbie Farnworth. (Picture by Hannah Peters/Getty Pictures)
“He’s enjoying his greatest footy and the beauty of Herbie is he’s bought enchancment left in him. He’s nonetheless on an upward observe.
“It will get to some extent the place you nearly anticipate that each week. He comes up with an enormous play each week … a line break or offload.”
The Tenth-placed Dolphins have eight forwards and two star backs – Kodi Nikorima and Jack Bostock – on the injured record and can give former North Queensland and Canberra prop Peter Hola a membership debut off the bench on Thursday evening at Suncorp Stadium in opposition to the Cowboys (twelfth).
“Pete Hola is a man who actually impressed me within the pre-season,” Woolf stated.
“He’s a man we wished to see within the trials and sadly 10 minutes into his first trial he bought a pec damage.
“I’ve saved a watch on him since then and he’s been some of the dominant props within the Queensland Cup.”
Prop Aublix Tawha will even play simply his fourth NRL match, and begin.
The Dolphins get Queensland fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow again after he was rested for final week’s loss to Cronulla.
with AAP
