‘Absolute devastation’ for Watson, but Roosters don’t want week off before grand finals

Roosters coach Trent Robinson maintains there is no need for the NRL to schedule a week off before the grand final despite the “absolute devastation” Connor Watson is experiencing after being the first player to miss a decider due to the 11-day concussion protocols.

Watson has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash against Newcastle – which would have doubled as his farewell Roosters game before joining the Dragons for next season – after suffering a concussion against the Dolphins in the preliminary final.

After initially displaying category-two symptoms, the representative utility was upgraded to a category one. It meant Watson would be unable to play or train for 11 days under the NRL’s concussion protocols, effectively ruling him out of the grand final.

There is a provision under the rules that allowed the Roosters to seek a reclassification or exemption based on independent medical advice, although the club ultimately opted not to do so.

It has raised debate over whether the NRL should give the grand final teams a week off to avoid the situation that has ultimately ended Watson’s dream of a fairytale club farewell. But while Robinson felt for his star utility, he wasn’t in favour of any change.

“Look, I think these are unfortunate things that happen, but we have protocols for a reason,” Robinson said.

“I’m more for the week off before the finals than I am before the grand final. I feel like momentum is built throughout the finals series, and the attrition part of it is a part of our game, so I understand that.”

Robinson had no issue with the protocols that resulted in Watson’s scratching, given they were implemented to protect the health of the players. The three-time premiership-winning coach added that Watson had taken the news “stoically”.

“It’s probably who Connor is,” Robinson said. “Connor’s a good man, a strong man, he’s his own man, and so he had to control all of that. He knew we were in the middle of a [training] session. The absolute devastation that it is for him and all the work that’s gone into his football career for him, his family, and friends, and then you get news like that – it’s quite tough.

“But then he spoke to the group quite clearly about how this is about the group, and he passed that on …

“You can have all the pain in the world, and in the present moment, that’s a lot of pain for him. But he also knows who he is, what he’s done, his role in this team, and what he wants from this team. Someone as stoic as Connor is going to hold that emotion, give positive energy to the crew, and move on. That’s exactly what he did.”

The Roosters will go into the grand final as overwhelming favourites, but Newcastle believes it has one more major upset in them. Knights coach Justin Holbrook – who has twice worked as an assistant to Robinson – dismissed suggestions his team had played their grand final early, in last weekend’s epic win over Penrith.

“My response to [the critics] is that last week was a prelim, it wasn’t a grand final. We know that,” Holbrook said.

“Someone said it the week before after the Warriors game, that it was our grand final, but we knew it wasn’t. We know the grand final is tomorrow, so we’re not silly.

“I can understand it because we’ve got on a roll and gone up the ladder over recent weeks if you want to look at it that way. But that’s irrelevant now. We’re so happy and excited to come to training and play, so we get another chance to do that tomorrow. We understand tomorrow is the grand final, and we’ve always known that.”