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Roosters coach Trent Robinson said just enough at his pre-match press conference to make Dragons debutant Kade Reed sleep a little less ahead of a daunting Anzac Day examination for the pint-sized halfback.
For more than a century, big rugby league players have targeted the small ones.
Reed, undoubtedly the skinniest and lightest No.7 in the NRL, knows he will have plenty of big bodies coming at him on Saturday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.
The 20-year-old said this week that tackling teammates Luciano Leilua and Jaydn Su’A had prepared him for the step-up to first grade. Robinson, however, offered a pointed reminder of what awaits, with Roosters enforcers Angus Crichton and Siua Wong primed to test the rookie’s resolve and make his afternoon as unpleasant as possible.
Asked if the Roosters would direct more traffic towards Reed, Robinson said: “I mean, that’s our game. That’s the game. That will always be a part of it.
“You need 13 guys aiming up, and it’s a physical game.”
Reed won’t be alone, Robinson insisted, but the subtext was clear.
The Dragons head into the clash as $5 outsiders after a tumultuous week that started with coach Shane Flanagan’s exit. Under interim boss Dean Young they are chasing their first win of a dismal season that shows few signs of improving.
To conjure a victory on Anzac Day, with a rookie halfback steering the side, would be quite the story.
The spotlight on Reed intensified after Bulldogs supremo and Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould declared this week there was “no doubt” the youngster would be targeted, urging his teammates to take on “great protective responsibility”.
Robinson said the Roosters had done their analysis on the talented playmaker, who suffered a concussion earlier this year against the Bulldogs in a NSW Cup match.
“We’ve done our work, as we do each week,” Robinson said. “We’re really clear on the way that he plays the game and what he’ll bring to them, and then also what we need to do.
“He’s played a lot of footy and we’ve watched him play a lot of footy. He just hasn’t played in the NRL yet.
“He’s played the trial [match], but he’s played a lot of reserve grade, and he’s come through the grades.
“There’s a lot of emotion around the game, and so there should be. It’s the best day and celebration for Australia and New Zealand we can have. Our job is to play footy and be clear on how we want to play.”
One member of the Roosters set-up who might have a particularly close eye on Reed’s performance is assistant coach and former Wallabies boss Michael Cheika.
Since finishing with Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Cheika has made no secret of his desire to land a head coaching gig in the NRL. He has already been discussed as a possible option to take on the Dragons role should Young not be retained in a full-time capacity.
Former All Blacks star Israel Dagg provided this insight on Sport Nation New Zealand Radio regarding Cheika’s interest in the Dragons job.
“A bit tongue in cheek, I said, ‘It might be [a job for you] up the road’,” Dagg said. “He [Cheika] goes, ‘Oh yeah, that could be the case’.
“He definitely wants to go back into head coaching. [He is] not a big fan of assistant coaching. The reason is you actually have to coach and put cones out there and do clips and a bit of analysis, so that was quite funny [to hear].
“He wants to give himself a year with the Roosters and he is keen to explore it if the option presents itself.”
Robinson said it was only a matter of time before Cheika, a long-time friend of his, landed a head coaching role.
“He’s a head coach and that’s pretty clear. He always has been,” Robinson said. “Whenever that comes up – he’ll be a head coach in the future somewhere pretty quickly – he’ll be ready to go.
“Cheik works with the forwards a lot and has worked well with that crew [around] building that mindset and the skill set he’s learning around the nuances of the game.
