SYDNEY ROOSTERS

It’s hard to imagine 2018 premiers Sydney Roosters needing to improve their squad, but they have lost promising backs Paul Momirovski, Ryan Matterson and Sean O’Sullivan, and Queensland prop Dylan Napa.  Their most significant loss could be winger Blake Ferguson, who was the Roosters’ leading try scorer in 2018 with 18, and has left for Parramatta.

The Roosters have signed veteran Brett Morris from Canterbury to replace Ferguson, as well as New South Wales Origin forward Angus Crichton from South Sydney.  Young five-eighth Brock Lamb has also joined from Newcastle.

Any backline led by the architect Cooper Cronk must be taken seriously.  Daniel Tupou, Latrell Mitchell, Luke Keary, James Tedesco, and Joseph Manu give the Roosters strike power right across the park.

The forwards will again be led by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who was recently named New Zealand’s player of the year.  Boyd Cordner should rise to another level after being named Australian captain, while Victor Radley could be the best second row forward the premiership has seen since Steve Menzies.  The reliable Isaac Liu, Mitchell Aubusson, and Siosiua Taukeiaho complete a dominant forward pack, all directed by evergreen hooker Jake Friend.  Prop forward Lindsay Collins should also become a regular member of the first grade team in 2019.

You can read more about the history of the Sydney Roosters here.