The Roosters would have entered 2015 confident of their chances to go all the way. They had a core of experienced NYC players, brought in some astute signings and had an influx of young talent from their 2014 SG Ball winning side. They got off to the worst possible start though, a 39-point loss to the Cowboys which began a three game losing streak.
Two straight wins, including a 62-point win over Cronulla was followed up with a 42-point loss a week later to Brisbane. The next week they beat Melbourne by 48 points and went on a three game winning streak. By Round 23, they sat in the top four but, you guessed it, another losing streak (and a draw in Round 26), resigned them to 6th. Their season ended in Week 1 of the final series, losing by 10 points to the Warriors but never really looking much of a chance.
The loss of Jackson Hastings to first grade hurt the Roosters premiership chances in 2015 but with a lot of players still eligible next season, the Bondi boys will be favourites to qualify for the finals again in 2016.
Standout Players
Latrell Mitchell finished second in the competition for tackle breaks, with 134. The 18-year old was a constant threat from fullback, scoring 15 tries. Joining from the Broncos in 2015, prop Richard Skelton proved to be a handy purchase. He scored a hat trick in Round 22 and made 51 offloads. Five-eighth Connor Watson turned out to be a frequent tryscorer. He had 18 tries in 20 game, which included four in Round 7 and a hat trick in Round 23.
Top Pointscorer
After taking over goal kicking duties towards the end of the season, Latrell Mitchell added to his great 2015 by finishing as the Roosters top pointscorer. He scored 15 tries and kicked 22 goals for 104 points.
Top Tryscorer
Joseph Manu scored 22 tries in 25 games and was the Roosters top tryscorer in 2015. The Junior Kiwi representative had 26 line breaks in his first full season of Holden Cup.
Best Win
Round 5 – defeated Cronulla 68-6.
The Roosters ran riot over Cronulla in Round 5 to record their biggest win in NYC history. The halves pairing of Watson and Hastings set up five of the Roosters 11 tries, while Taane Milne and Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck both bagged hat tricks. It was a win that put the competition on notice during the early rounds of the season.
Graduates
Nil
Player to Watch in 2016
An Australian Schoolboy in 2014, Nat Butcher joined the Roosters from South Sydney in 2015 and played 11 NYC games this season. A lock or second rower, the 17-year old averaged 146 metres and 39 tackles a game. In the qualifying final against the Warriors, having played one game since Round 10, Butcher ran for 213 metres and made 33 tackles.
Representative Honours
Bayley Faull – Australian Schoolboys
Jackson Hastings – Junior Kangaroos (2 goals, 4 points), New South Wales under-20s (1 try, 3 goals, 10 points)
Grant Garvey – New South Wales under-20s
Bernard Lewis – Queensland under-18s
Joseph Manu – Junior Kiwis (1 try, 4 points)
Taane Milne – Junior Kiwis
Latrell Mitchell – New South Wales under-20s (1 try, 4 points)
18TH MAN 