โIt makes clubs be really aware of planning for the future really well. And if youโre clear on what your team looks like, not in 2026, but in 2027, 2028, 2029, then youโre going to plan towards that and sign those players.
โI think the competition [to sign players] creates better planning for the clubs currently in the competition, so I think thatโs a good thing.โ
Roosters great James Tedesco.Credit: Getty Images
Tedesco has arguably never been in better form, which Robinson attributed to his quest for โcontinual improvementโ.
While dual premiership winner Tedesco rates as one of the Roostersโ greatest signings, there is hopeย Daly Cherry-Evans can have a similar impact next season.
The Manly captain is reported to have agreed to terms with the Roosters some time ago, but no deal has been announced, and there is zero chance of that happening this week, given the two clubs clash at Brookvale on Saturday in a fixture crucial to their finals hopes.
With six rounds remaining, Manly are currently ninth on the premiership ladder, and the Roosters are 10th, two points behind them.
โI know itโs definitely a talking point,โ Robinson said of Cherry-Evans.
โIโve seen that already. But thatโs a bit of a sideshow to what really matters this weekend for us … nothingโs been signed or anything like that, so those conversations will take place when they need to.
โBut this weekโs not the week either. I donโt think weโre going to agree to anything this week or sign anything this week. Thatโll come in due course.
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โBut I think both our focus is on playing footy and doing the best we can this weekend and for the rest of the year.โ
After a three-day training camp on the Central Coast, the Roosters are confident they can still make the finals. Their next two games, against Manly and the Dolphins, could prove decisive.
But even if they fall short, Robinson believes he is building a premiership squad, especially with NSW Origin hooker Reece Robson already signed for next year.
โWe openly say that we want to play for premierships,โ Robinson said.
โWhat does that look like? Are you developing a team to play for premierships?โ
Robinson said Victor Radley, who has been named in jersey No.22 this week because of a shoulder problem, was โtouch and goโ and would need to pass a fitness test on Friday.
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