Roosters Face Fullback Conundrum as Tedesco’s Ironman Streak Tested
The Sydney Roosters are facing a significant challenge this NRL season, with immense pressure expected to fall on skipper James Tedesco to play every single game. This isn’t due to a lack of depth across the squad – indeed, the Roosters boast impressive talent in most positions, bolstered by the arrival of seasoned campaigners like Daly Cherry-Evans and Reece Robson. The pinch point, however, lies squarely with their fullback stocks.
Should the evergreen Tedesco, who has remarkably avoided injury for several seasons, including last year where he clinched the Dally M Medal, face any time on the sidelines, the Roosters would be forced to look towards a rather unconventional trio of replacements. This group includes Cody Ramsey, a winger who hasn’t seen NRL action in over three years, the potentially Wallabies-bound Mark Nawaqanitawase, or the promising young rugby talent, Rex Bassingthwaighte.
Bassingthwaighte is set to don the number one jersey for the Roosters in their upcoming trial match against the Wests Tigers. While he is being groomed as Tedesco’s long-term successor, insiders suggest he is still some 18 months away from being a regular first-grade player.
Tedesco himself has expressed gratitude for his continued availability and has voiced his confidence in Ramsey. The winger, who was sidelined for seven months with ulcerative colitis, has impressed during pre-season training.
“Cody has been outstanding, we’ve swapped in and out of training plenty of times, and he’s done an awesome job,” Tedesco commented. “To hear his story, and what he’s been through, and to now come back and play footy, it’s pretty special. He’s definitely stood out at training.” He further elaborated on Ramsey’s attributes: “Not only is he fast, but he’s tough, and gets in and has a go. He could even be that specialist back we put on the bench where if something does happen.”
Bassingthwaighte will start against the Tigers, with Tedesco and Ramsey slated to return for the following weekend’s more significant trial against the Parramatta Eels. Cherry-Evans and Robson are also expected to feature in that final hit-out. Despite his age, Tedesco noted Cherry-Evans’ continued leadership and dedication at training, even volunteering for extra drills.
Hugo Savala is another versatile player who could cover multiple positions for the Roosters, having trained at both lock and centre during the summer.
Trial Match Round-Up: A Look Across the Competition
In other trial news from Saturday, the Wests Tigers will feature Heamasi Makasini in the centres against the Roosters. Makasini, an under-18s Australian rugby teammate of Bassingthwaighte, is also pushing hard for the starting left wing position for the club’s season opener.
The Newcastle Knights and Canterbury Bulldogs, both preparing for games in Las Vegas, are expected to field the majority of their key players. This includes Knights recruit Dylan Brown, while Matt Burton and Lachie Galvin will start for the Bulldogs.
Manly Sea Eagles will participate in the first trial on Saturday in Napier, New Zealand, facing the Warriors. Youngsters Onitoni Large and Joey Walsh are set to start in the halves for Manly.
For the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Ashton Ward and Jonah Glover will get the first opportunity in the halves for the Charity Shield clash against the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Dragons’ centre Zac Lomax will not play against Souths due to a hamstring injury, but is expected to be fit for round one in Vegas against the Bulldogs.
Court Case Delays Lomax’s Storm Debut
A significant development in a court case has thwarted Zac Lomax’s hopes of debuting for the Melbourne Storm against his former club, Parramatta, in round one. Unless the dispute is settled outside of court, the match scheduled for March 5th at AAMI Park will likely see Lomax unavailable.
Lomax and Parramatta are currently embroiled in a Supreme Court dispute, with a five-day hearing scheduled from March 2nd to 6th. This means any resolution will occur after the Storm’s season opener. Parramatta initiated legal proceedings to prevent Lomax from joining the Storm, as his release from a four-year contract was conditional on their written consent. Lomax was granted a release to join the R360 competition, but its inaugural season has been postponed until 2028, leaving him in limbo.
Parramatta is seeking a player of comparable value in exchange for allowing Lomax to play for a rival club, a condition the Storm has struggled to meet. Storm chair Matt Tripp and Eels counterpart Matthew Beach met in Sydney this week in an attempt to resolve the stalemate. Despite Melbourne increasing their compensation offer to $300,000, no agreement was reached. The situation means Lomax may have to sit out the start of the 2026 season if no compromise is found.
Sources close to the situation, speaking anonymously, indicated that an out-of-court resolution is highly improbable given the significant gap between the parties’ expectations. Jonah Pezet is set to make his Eels debut against his former club in round one.
Bellamy Names Papenhuyzen’s Successor at Melbourne
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has confirmed that homegrown talent Sua Fa’alogo will be given the first opportunity to fill the vacant number one jersey following the departure of Ryan Papenhuyzen. Bellamy, who recently committed to another two years with the Storm, will be fielding a squad with several new faces this season, including the departures of prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona and half Jonah Pezet, as well as the concussion-related unavailability of Eliesa Katoa.
Fa’alogo, who has played 22 NRL matches since his debut in 2023, has been identified by the Storm as the primary candidate to replace Papenhuyzen, ahead of another Melbourne junior, Hugo Peel.
“Sua will get first shot,” Bellamy stated. “To his credit, he hasn’t been one of our fittest players in the past, but this year he’s come back very fit. He realises that to play that position, you need to be really fit and have endurance. We all know he has pace but he’s improved his endurance.”
Bellamy admitted he hadn’t anticipated having two Victorians competing for the key fullback role.
“Probably not in the past but I think Billy Slater being our most famous fullback and still living here, he does a bit of work for us, so I think his concentration on the fullbacks has really helped Sua and Hugo,” Bellamy added.
As he heads into his 24th season in charge of the Storm, Bellamy expressed his continued passion for coaching, having recently extended his commitment until the end of 2028, a departure from his previous one-season commitments.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I thought I had a bit more time in me,” Bellamy explained. “My wife, probably 12 months ago, wasn’t that keen on my going on, but she’s basically given me her support. I’ve committed to those two more years so that will be the plan.”
The veteran coach, who has overseen 604 games, led the Storm to the grand final last year. Despite some key player departures, he remains optimistic about his side’s prospects for the upcoming season. Bellamy acknowledged that retirement is on his mind and something he anticipates, but he is not ready to step away from full-time coaching just yet and is excited by the potential within his young Storm squad.
“We are all getting older and looking forward to retirement – maybe not looking forward to it, but we know it is close,” Bellamy mused. “It’s just working out what the right time was, or is. That is the hard part. I’m still enjoying what I’m doing here. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s a decision I’m going to embrace.”
Bellamy also threw his support behind Cameron Smith’s appointment as an assistant coach for the Brisbane Broncos, believing the Storm, Queensland, and Kangaroos legend will be a significant asset.
“We’ve torn his membership up straight away,” Bellamy said with a laugh. “He actually rang me up and explained why he had taken on the job. He doesn’t have ties or contracts or anything [with Storm] so he can do what he likes with his life and he’ll be of great benefit to the Broncos. It was smart of the Broncos to get him there. We would have loved to see him here, but he lives in Queensland now and certainly, there are no hard feelings at all.”
