Roosters 2002 vs Roosters 2018...

[The Book of Steeden]

Hello all,

Thought I would throw this match-up out there for us during the off-season. IMO (feel free to disagree), the 2013 Roosters were too strong for either of these teams, & clearly our most formidable Premiership-winning team this century.

What of these two, though? The 2002 squad won nine straight matches en route to the title, a record which stood for fifteen years in the modern era (broken by the Storm, with ten, in 2017), but they are the only club in history to win that many whereby every opponent made the Finals that year.

The 2018 Roosters defeated the incumbent champions effectively without a halfback, & did so easily. Won the Minor Premiership as well.

Who do you guys think edges this? Here are the squads...

2002

1. Luke Phillips
2. Brett Mullins
3. Shannon Hegarty
4. Justin Hodges
5. Anthony Minichiello
6. Brad Fittler (c)
7. Craig Wing
8. Jason Cayless
9. Simon Bonetti
10. Peter Cusack
11. Adrian Morley
12. Craig Fitzgibbon
13. Luke Ricketson

14. Bryan Fletcher
15. Andrew Lomu
16. Chris Flannery
17. Michael Crocker

Coach: Ricky Stuart

2018

1. James Tedesco
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. Joseph Manu
5. Blake Ferguson
6. Luke Keary
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9. Jake Friend
10. Sio Siua Taukeiaho
11. Boyd Cordner (c)
12. Mitch Aubusson
13. Victor Radley

14. Isaac Liu
15. Dylan Napa
16. Zane Tetevano
18. Ryan Matterson

Coach: Trent Robinson

Let’s assume both squads are fully fit. Winner?

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

Hello all,

Thought I would throw this match-up out there for us during the off-season. IMO (feel free to disagree), the 2013 Roosters were too strong for either of these teams, & clearly our most formidable Premiership-winning team this century.

What of these two, though? The 2002 squad won nine straight matches en route to the title, a record which stood for fifteen years in the modern era (broken by the Storm, with ten, in 2017), but they are the only club in history to win that many whereby every opponent made the Finals that year.

The 2018 Roosters defeated the incumbent champions effectively without a halfback, & did so easily. Won the Minor Premiership as well.

Who do you guys think edges this? Here are the squads...

2002

1. Luke Phillips
2. Brett Mullins
3. Shannon Hegarty
4. Justin Hodges
5. Anthony Minichiello
6. Brad Fittler (c)
7. Craig Wing
8. Jason Cayless
9. Simon Bonetti
10. Peter Cusack
11. Adrian Morley
12. Craig Fitzgibbon
13. Luke Ricketson

14. Bryan Fletcher
15. Andrew Lomu
16. Chris Flannery
17. Michael Crocker

Coach: Ricky Stuart

2018

1. James Tedesco
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. Joseph Manu
5. Blake Ferguson
6. Luke Keary
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9. Jake Friend
10. Sio Siua Taukeiaho
11. Boyd Cordner (c)
12. Mitch Aubusson
13. Victor Radley

14. Isaac Liu
15. Dylan Napa
16. Zane Tetevano
18. Ryan Matterson

Coach: Trent Robinson

Let’s assume both squads are fully fit. Winner?

2018 by 12 points.

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

2018 team is stronger than the 2013 team.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

2018 team is stronger than the 2013 team.

Wow, you really think so? I don’t think they have them beat in practically any stat of the game, from memory.

Where on the park do you think 2018 beats 2013?

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

Wow, you really think so? I don’t think they have them beat in practically any stat of the game, from memory.

Where on the park do you think 2018 beats 2013?

2018 Full back, centres and halves are all better

 

[The Book of Steeden]

2018 Full back, centres and halves are all better

Fair...but I was referring to statistical performance as a team. 2013 was a lot more dominant.

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

Fair...but I was referring to statistical performance as a team. 2013 was a lot more dominant.

That is because it took more than half the season for the 2018 new players to gel. Especially replacing Pearce with Cronk.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

That is because it took more than half the season for the 2018 new players to gel. Especially replacing Pearce with Cronk.

So your argument is the 2018 Roosters at their best (the last three months of the year) would have beaten the 2013 side?

Still, I’d argue that. I think they’re a step down & the stats support that.

 

[TheFrog]

Fair...but I was referring to statistical performance as a team. 2013 was a lot more dominant.

Manly gave them a lot more trouble in the decider than any of the sides they played in the finals last year. It's kinda sad when you can carry a busted No 7 whose only role is to direct traffic and still the opposition isn't in the game.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

Manly gave them a lot more trouble in the decider than any of the sides they played in the finals last year. It's kinda sad when you can carry a busted No 7 whose only role is to direct traffic and still the opposition isn't in the game.

Sad? I thought it was more a story for the ages.

Is it sad that the Rabbitohs beat the Sea Eagles with John Sattler’s broken jaw?

 

[Stephen 'Stevo' Stevenson]

2018 much better.

2002 beat a shitty team in the GF and honestly shouldn't have even won the semi

 

[TheFrog]

Sad? I thought it was more a story for the ages.

Is it sad that the Rabbitohs beat the Sea Eagles with John Sattler’s broken jaw?

Were they that good that 12 could beat 13, and quite comfortably at that, in a premiership decider? Even the Roosters must have been pinching themselves at how easy it was in the end. The Storm were even more dominant the year before, but that was some footy side. I'd suggest the Roosters and their fans can be extremely thankful they got the 2018 Storm and not the 2017 version.

Oh and Sattler, as far as I know, didn't take the broken jaw into the game.

 

[Tommy Smith]

2018 Storm, 2017 Storm, 1998 Broncos, 1994 Raiders... line 'em all up it wouldn't have mattered because the 2018 Roosters put in the best GF performance I've ever seen.

They would have beaten anyone.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

2018 much better.

2002 beat a shitty team in the GF and honestly shouldn't have even won the semi

We beat nine opponents in a row, all of whom played Finals football that year. That’s never been done, before or since.

As for the GFQ, correct, we shouldn’t have won - because we lost Simon Bonetti in the first tackle, Peter Cusack a few minutes later, & Luke Ricketson at the 15-minute mark.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

Were they that good that 12 could beat 13, and quite comfortably at that, in a premiership decider? Even the Roosters must have been pinching themselves at how easy it was in the end. The Storm were even more dominant the year before, but that was some footy side. I'd suggest the Roosters and their fans can be extremely thankful they got the 2018 Storm and not the 2017 version.

Oh and Sattler, as far as I know, didn't take the broken jaw into the game.

I don’t know what we did wrong out there, though? We rolled through the middle & made every attacking raid count, did we not?

I mean, even if they were below par, we were owed one - because the Panthers in ‘03 played above their standard

 

[TheFrog]

I don’t know what we did wrong out there, though?

Nothing at all. You can only play what's in front of you. This was a great side, especially in defence. Few sides have won a premiership so....unchallenged. They certainly gave us a touch up (with 68% of possession and a nasty penalty count) and it was far from our worst performance of the year. That was the game it all came together I thought. If only Philips hadn't bombed the try of the year.

It was like 2018-Roosters was etched in from the very start, just as Albert said.

 

[The Book of Steeden]

Nothing at all. You can only play what's in front of you. This was a great side, especially in defence. Few sides have won a premiership so....unchallenged. They certainly gave us a touch up (with 68% of possession and a nasty penalty count) and it was far from our worst performance of the year. That was the game it all came together I thought. If only Philips hadn't bombed the try of the year.

It was like 2018-Roosters was etched in from the very start, just as Albert said.

Disagree with that last sentence. You apparently didn’t watch us for the first four months of the competition.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Agree with 2013 being the best. If there’s a criticism, the 02 squad relied too much on Freddy. I think their win record without him was something like 1 from 8? I’ll put the 2018 squad just ahead for that alone. More even spread of talent across the park. All three are great, it’s too close. It’s like comparing Victoria’s Secret models but you like all of them in the end