Sydney Roosters 2024 season review
Overview
It was a case of what might have been for the Roosters in 2024, as they lost a pair of their biggest stars to long-term injuries just two weeks before the finals.
They started the year impressively, with a 20-10 win over the Broncos in Vegas, but an inconsistent start to the season saw them with a 3-4 record over the first seven rounds. After that, things started to click into gear, with Sam Walker at the heart of things in the halves. Sadly, Walker was one of the two players to suffer injury in round 26 – Brandon Smith being the other – and both players will miss most of 2025 as a result.
Despite the injuries, the Chooks managed to secure a top three finish, and they were also the highest-scoring team in the NRL. Their towering wingers, Dom Young and Daniel Tupou, played a big part in that, with 19 tries apiece in the regular season.
In week one of the finals, they were comprehensively outplayed by eventual premiers, Penrith, who took them apart 30-10. However, thanks to their top three finish, they got a second bite at the cherry, and their 40-16 win over Manly in week two set them up for a preliminary final with the Storm in Melbourne.
That’s where things were to end for the Roosters, and predictably so. They weren’t helped by the loss of Lindsay Collins in the first hit-up of the game, but even so, they went into the game as underdogs, and it was no surprise to see them eventually beaten 48-18.
That defeat made it one win in their last 22 games against Penrith and Melbourne, so they’ll need to close the gap significantly in 2025 if they’re serious about winning another premiership.
Highs
There were plenty of positives for the Roosters in 2024, not least a third-placed finish after they just scraped into the finals the previous year.
Dom Young was prolific in his first season with the club, while Sam Walker started to cement his place as one of the competition’s premier halves before his unfortunate injury. Angus Crichton bounced back to form, as well, in what was arguably a career-best season for him.
They also finished the regular season as the competition’s top points scorers, and did a number on some of their biggest rivals. 48 points against the Rabbitohs in round two was followed up by 60 points against the Dragons on ANZAC Day. In fact, they scored 40+ points on nine occasions throughout the year, so attack was certainly one of the team’s highlights.
Lows
The loss of Sam Walker, Brandon Smith and Victor Radley in round 26 effectively killed the Roosters’ chances of a premiership in 2024 in my opinion. Whilst Radley made it back for the finals, Walker and Smith will miss a large chunk of next year, which is a hammer blow for the Chooks.
There were also some chastening defeats during the year, and as mentioned earlier their record against Penrith and Melbourne now stands at one win in their past 22 meetings.
All in all though, third place and a preliminary final was a great effort in 2024, but it’ll be all change in Bondi next year, so it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold.
Reasons to be positive in 2025
Although they’re losing a host of big names for 2025, including Joey Manu, Luke Keary, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Joseph Sua’ali’i, the Roosters still have a squad that’s more than capable of competing in finals footy again next year.
Captain James Tedesco had an outstanding 2024 and with his rep career seemingly over, he’ll be fresh for the team’s NRL campaign. Meanwhile, the likes of Terrell May and Naufahu Whyte had big campaigns this year, and along with exciting youngster De La Salle Va’a, they’ll be expected to take the torch from JWH in the forward pack.
I’d still expect a couple more signings to arrive before the new season, but even if they don’t, the Roosters will be a strong outfit again in 2025.
My 2024 prediction – 3rd
Final 2024 position – 3rd
Another solid effort this one, and I’ll happily take it! The Roosters are always there or thereabouts when it comes to the top end of the ladder, and 2024 was no exception. With the number of players leaving next year, they could be a bit of an unknown quantity, but there’ll still be enough quality to have another premiership push.
