Heading into the first bye and officially entering the second half of the 2024 season, there has already been a stack of headlines highlighting the achievements of the Red, White and Blue.
February 21 - King & Quayle Awarded Life Membership
Two of the Club's greatest administrative figures were bestowed with Life Membership during the 2024 Annual General Meeting in February.
Executive Manager of Club Operations Cath King alongside former player and Assistant Secretary/Manager of Easts Leagues, John Quayle, were acknowledged for their commitment and impact on the Club.
King, a beloved member of the Club's current staff, showed her gratitude on the night:
“The Club gave me the opportunity to, hopefully, in some small way, have an impact on those people that I’ve worked with – the wonderful people and the wonderful players – on their lives and their journeys," she said.
“However small that impact may be, I hope I have played a small part in that.”
Quayle, equally proud of the achievement, echoed the sentiments of King.
“I was able to learn where I believe my administration skills came from, at this wonderful Club. They gave me the opportunity to spend time to learn whatever I could," he said.
March 3 - Roosters Launch Vegas in Style
The NRL created history in 2024 with the opening two matches staged in the USA for the very first time; and the Roosters took full advantage of the opportunity with a thumping 20-10 victory over the Brisbane Broncos at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
The Tricolours clicked into gear in the historic fixture, with centre Joseph Manu opening the scoring after picking off a wayward pass to touch down, before extending to an eight-point lead following a penalty goal.
NRL Round 1 Highlights: Roosters vs Broncos
Brisbane struck back before the break to close the gap, but it was more Manu magic in the second stanza, with the New Zealand representative sending winger Junior Pauga over through an extravagant flick pass.
The Broncos returned serve to set up cliffhanger finish, but it was Captain James Tedesco who stood tall in the dying stages, sneaking through the line and sending Victor Radley over for the match-winning try, with the Roosters prevailing 20-10.
March 22 - Roosters Run Rampant Against Rabbitohs
Round 3 not only saw the Roosters take to home turf for the first time in 2024, but it also marked the 300th NRL appearance of stalwart front rower, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Best of all, however, was the way the side celebrated the milestone as they demolished arch-rivals South Sydney, 48-6 in front of a bumper crowd of 37,594.
NRL Round 3 Highlights: Roosters vs Rabbitohs
In a classic eight-tries-to-one thumping, the Red, White and Blue ran roughshod over their hapless neighbours, with James Tedesco and Sam Walker finishing the match with doubles - the latter contributing one-third of the side's total points despite playing just 47 minutes.
It proved to be the perfect way to introduce the Club's long-term enforcer to the hallowed 300-game milestone - one that few will forget anytime soon.
April 10 - Roosters Members Crush Record
For a third consecutive year, the Club's Membership record was broken, with 20,605 proud Roosters Members signed up at the time of writing.
It highlighted the exponential growth in Membership since 2013, with an astounding 47% rise in Membership - also reflected in the Roosters' home crowds since the re-opening of Allianz Stadium.
In 2024 alone, the home of the Sydney Roosters has averaged crowds of 25,377, with over 150,000 people attending matches at Allianz Stadium.
Members outside of Sydney have also stood up when counted on, with 20% residing outside of New South Wales.
April 25 - ANZAC Day's Historic Outing
One of the biggest days in the rugby league calendar provided one of the biggest wins in recent history for the Sydney Roosters as they put rivals St George Illawarra to the sword with a 60-18 demolition in the 2024 ANZAC Day Cup.
The Roosters posted the highest score and the biggest winning margin in the Cup's two-decade-long history, with the men in Bondi Blue posting ten tries, despite conceding the first of the match.
NRL Round 8, 2024 Highlights: ANZAC Day Cup
It was another glittering display from mercurial halfback Sam Walker, who piled on 24 points with a perfect 10/10 goals and a try, etching his name in history by becoming just the second Rooster to claim the Ashton-Collier Spirit of ANZAC Medal Recipient for a second time.
April 25-May 25 - Red-Hot Roosters Pile On Points
The month period between April 25 and May 25 saw the Roosters NRL side clock up some incredible scorelines as they won four of five matches from Rounds 8 to 12.
Springboarding from the aforementioned ANZAC Day demolition, the Tricolours continued to score almost at will, recording scorelines of 40-18, 38-18, 30-38 and 44-16 over the following four games.
NRL Round 9, 2024 Highlights: Roosters vs Broncos
That tallies out to an average scoreline of 42-22, with the Tricolours posting 212 points across the five weeks in total.
Standouts throughout the period included halfback Sam Walker, who tallied 66 points from 2 tries and 29 goals, while centre Joseph Manu scored five tries in four matches, missing the game against Cronulla.
May 12 - JWH Reaches Roosters 300 Club
After reaching the NRL's 300 club earlier in the season, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves continued his milestone year by becoming just the fourth Rooster to play 300 games in the famous Red, White and Blue.
Having announced his departure from the Club at the end of season, the 16-year veteran joined fellow 300 club members Luke Ricketson (301), Anthony Minichiello (302) and Mitchell Aubusson (306) in Round 10 against the New Zealand Warriors.
JWH Celebrates 300
His teammates ensured it would be another day to celebrate too, piling on the points against his fellow countrymen in a 38-18 walloping at Allianz Stadium.
At the time of writing, Waerea-Hargreaves is the second-most capped Rooster with 303 matches to his name, needing just four more appearances to usurp Aubusson.
May 18 - Tupou Leaps Into Newfound Territory
The Magic Round clash provided plenty of points in 2024, but more importantly, it marked two huge milestones achieved by veteran winger Daniel Tupou.
The three-time Premiership winner continued his claim as the Club's greatest winger, lacing up the boots for the 250th time in the Red, White and Blue in Round 11 against Cronulla.
Tupou Scores Try 150
But the current sixth-most capped Rooster of all time didn't stop there, touching down in the 25th minute like he has done so many times before; leaping above the pack to take a Luke Keary kick in the corner and touch down for try no.150.
Tupou became just the 16th player to reach the 150 try mark, the first Rooster to do so and the sixth Rooster to reach 250 games. Not a bad haul for an honest weekend's work.
May 25 - Roosters Honour Ron in Indigenous Round
Indigenous Round proves to be one of the great weeks in the NRL's calendar, as the league unites to celebrate the oldest-surviving culture in the world. The Roosters ensured they would honour a Club legend in the best possible manner.
Travelling down to Canberra, the Red, White and Bluesters put on a clinic in the Capital, prevailing 44-16 with strong performances to James Tedesco and Joseph Manu.
Chloe Saddler: Creating a Jersey in Honour of Ron
What made the occasion all the more special, however, was the Indigenous Round Jersey celebrating Rooster no.529, Ron Saddler, designed by his granddaughter Chloe, who led the team out onto GIO Stadium.
The meaningful design did the Saddler clan proud, with Chloe showing gratitude for the chance to highlight her grandfather's career.
“I’m just so thankful and so grateful for the opportunity to represent pop and show what I can do and have a jersey to keep forever as a keepsake," she said.
June 2 - Academy Produces Another Graduate
While Round 13 saw a host of absentees in the Roosters' line up due to State of Origin duty, it opened the door for the next player in the Sydney Roosters' Academy to make his NRL debut.
Nineteen-year-old forward Blake Steep continued his meteoric rise through the Club's Pathways by taking the first-grade field just months after starring as Captain of the SG Ball Cup side.
The teenage sensation also did his family and teammates proud, producing a short thirteen-minute stint from the interchange bench that saw him make 38 metres from four runs, coupled with seven tackles - and no misses.
It may have looked like a small step, but the debut of Sydney Rooster no.1231 was a giant leap for the future of the Club's flourishing Academy.
The Sydney Roosters Foundation launch the Academy Hero Initiative
