As the NRL’s round of State of Origin-enforced squad reshuffles kicks off, the Sydney Roosters are preparing to face the Dolphins at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Friday night with a drastically altered lineup—seven of their top first-grade stars are sidelined for the clash, but head coach Trent Robinson says the mass absences have created a golden opportunity for rising talent to prove their worth at the top level.
Both sides are navigating significant Origin-related disruptions. The Dolphins will also be without five of their Queensland Maroons representatives for the match, but they have received a timely boost: playmaker Isaiya Katoa has been released from New South Wales Origin camp to suit up for the club on Friday. For the Roosters, the absentees read like a who’s who of regular matchwinners: captain and fullback James Tedesco, Lindsay Collins, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Reece Robson, Robert Toia, Sam Walker and Victor Radley will all watch from the sidelines, with Nawaqanitawase in line to make his senior State of Origin debut for the Blues.
One of the most anticipated inclusions in the Roosters’ extended squad is 19-year-old prospect Rex Bassingthwaighte, a Dubbo native recently named to the NSW Under-19s side who has long been tagged as the club’s future long-term fullback. Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Robinson said the young talent has earned his first call-up to a top-grade bench spot after turning heads in junior and reserve competitions. “Rex has come down from Dubbo and been on our radar for a while,” Robinson said. “He’s got a free spirit about him, but he’s also really gone after moments through the junior grades. We saw that in the SG Ball, we’ve seen that in reserve grade, so it was good to put him on that the bench, and I’m looking forward to see if he gets that opportunity. You can see when someone’s going to be a first-grader, and it’s time to give some of those guys an opportunity.”
While the roster is far from the Roosters’ full-strength starting side, the club still retains elite experience with key playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans, forward Angus Crichton, backrower Naufahu Whyte and other established first-graders suiting up. This match also marks the Roosters’ sixth consecutive clash against non-NSW-based opposition, a stretch that has forced the club to dig deep into its 38-player full-time squad. For Robinson, the forced rotation is a positive outcome for the club’s long-term depth. “The guys that you’ll see play, they’ve been in our squad, they train every day,” Robinson said. “We train with about 38 players, and we’re a really close crew. And some of those players that don’t get to play as often get to play tomorrow, and that’s a great thing for a club. We love these weeks. The possibility is really high, and you want to see someone take that opportunity that they’re going to get. But then it’s also for the other guys that play each week to shoulder the load and say, ‘OK, follow me’. It creates a really good environment for footy this weekend, and it’s some of the most enjoyable weeks of the year.”
Two players in particular are gearing up for highly anticipated returns to their preferred positions, starting with halfback Hugo Savala. With regular starting half Sam Walker sidelined for Origin, Savala will step into the halves to partner Cherry-Evans, the man he is widely expected to replace long-term. Savala has turned in strong performances at left centre throughout the 2024 season, but the playmaker made his name as a five-eighth in his breakout rookie campaign, and Robinson said the shift back to his natural position has injected extra energy into the young gun. “I think it’s hard to see energy grow from somebody whose energy is so high already. But it’s a great opportunity for him,” Robinson said. “He’s excited about getting back into the halves and playing his role, and so are we.”
For Cody Ramsey, the opportunity to start at fullback is even more meaningful, coming nearly two years after he last started in the role at NRL level and 12 months after he returned from a career-threatening battle with ulcerative colitis. Ramsey, who joined the Roosters after leaving the St George Illawarra Dragons, has played four NRL games since his comeback, filling in on the wing admirably while Nawaqanitawase and Daniel Tupou recovered from injury. Now he will step into the fullback role to cover Tedesco’s Origin absence, a position he calls his own. “I think it was really beneficial to have him play on the wing,” Robinson explained. “It’s not great having Mark and ‘Toops’ out, but to be able to have Cody come in and play (was great) knowing that if Ted did get in Origin that he was going to play that fullback role. So having him on the wing, getting him comfortable on the field again in NRL, and then coming back into fullback, he’s been driven this week.”
For the Dolphins, a win on Friday would see them jump over the injury-hit Roosters into the top eight of the NRL premiership, putting them in strong position to secure a first finals berth since entering the competition. For the Roosters, the opportunity to pull off an upset with a young, inexperienced side has the club embracing the challenge ahead of kickoff.