Updated August 22, 2026 — 10:16am,first published August 17, 2026 — 3:30pm
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Roosters captain James Tedesco has been ruled out of the clash with Wests Tigers, extending his time on the sidelines to a month.
Tedesco has taken longer than expected to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in round 22 and is a late scratching for Sunday’s clash at Allianz Stadium.
“No, he won’t play,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said. “It’s more than the ankle – it’s been a bit frustrating for Ted. We’ve named him each week, but he’s not right to play this week. He’s progressed quite well, but it’s a bit more niggling than what we thought.”
Robinson said he would again name Tedesco for next week’s clash with the Dolphins and was hopeful he would be ready to return.
“The longer you go [on the sidelines], the more you have to train before you get back,” Robinson said.
“In the first week, it could have easily been one session, but now he has to build up almost a whole week of training, and he hasn’t been able to do that. We’re getting close, but yeah, he won’t play.”
The Roosters are on the lookout for two assistants after Matt King accepted the NSW State of Origin job, while Michael Cheika will return to the Waratahs in Super Rugby. While Cheika will soon turn his attention to the 15-man game, Robinson predicted it wouldn’t preclude him from achieving his ambition of becoming an NRL head coach.
“I don’t think so,” Robinson said. “We took on the boldness at the Roosters to take somebody from the outside. I’ve spoken briefly to Fitzy [Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon] down at the Sharks with Freddie [Brad] Fittler – there are different angles that you need to have a look at in our game. Our game’s getting big enough.
“Cheika coached Lebanon at the World Cup, he’s now done his second stint here at the Roosters, and he’s a head coach – that’s his ultimate background. I don’t think it precludes him from being a head [NRL] coach; I actually think what he’s done this year puts him at the front of the queue for when a job does come up. He’s decided to go back to the sport that he loves, but I think we’ve added one of those sports to his list as well.”
Robinson also lauded Daly Cherry-Evans for the influence he’s had on the team since arriving in the pre-season. The former Manly captain will finish his career at Bath in the English Super League.
“It’s been wonderful being able to coach Daly this year and seeing the value add he’s had in our group,” Robinson said.
“He’s come on, and I love the fact that he and Sam [Walker] have been really tight and close. Their games have developed month-on-month – I think they’ve gotten better, especially around the halfway point and on.
“Their combination has continued to improve. Simply put, we got asked a lot of questions about why, and I’ve been really happy; he’s added a lot of clarity to the way that we play the game.”