Trent Robinson has defended his decision to rest nine players ahead of the NRL finals, but would be in favour of a wildcard weekend to fixture a break for the top teams.
The fourth-placed Sydney Roosters are resting James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans and seven others from tonight’s clash.
Following Sam Walker‘s injury, Robinson admitted there was a temptation to give new halves combination Cherry-Evans and Hugo Savala a dry run in the last weekend before finals.
“There was some thought around that, but I also trust the way that they both play,” he said.
“They’ve both trained a lot together.”
The upheaval on the Roosters’ team sheet comes after Penrith memorably rested 16 players for the penultimate round of last season, while finals-bound Cronulla and the Warriors are also resting fit players this weekend.
The situation has reignited suggestions of introducing a pre-finals wildcard round.
That would allow the teams that finish between first and sixth to rest the weekend before finals and therefore play full strength until the end of the regular season.
The teams placed seventh to 10th, meanwhile, would play off to secure one of two finals spots, so would have incentive to name their best teams.
The AFL welcomed 172,769 fans to the two games across their first wildcard weekend last month.
It is understood NRL club chief executive officers were broadly in favour of introducing the concept when quizzed at Wednesday’s meeting.
Robinson is also keen on introducing a wildcard weekend, but only once the league expands closer to 20 teams as it aims by the end of the decade.
“I think it makes commercial sense, I think it makes football sense as far as the weekend off and making the finals series at its best as well for those teams,” he said.
“I think it’s with some foresight not to [use it as we] go to 18 [teams], but probably going towards 20, and I think it’s not all four of those teams getting into that finals series, it’s only two of them.
“So you’re not rewarding four teams, you’re rewarding two teams that have to fight their way in.”
Rex Bassingthwaighte, Toby Rodwell and Reece Foley all join the Roosters’ starting backline with four NRL games of experience between them, while uncapped Hayden Barton, Aston Warwick and Jake Elliott are on the six-man bench.
Robinson insisted he was still taking the clash, between the NRL’s two fiercest rivals, seriously.
“History will show that I love this game and respect this game, and I don’t think there’s any different this weekend, because Daly Cherry-Evans isn’t playing and Toby Rodwell is,” he said.
“There’s a future in what we’re going to be playing out there as well.”
– AAP
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