Rooster Robson the right man for the job

New Roosters hooker Reece Robson arrived at Bondi with a reputation for toughness and he wasted no time in showing why he is held in such high regard.

After fracturing his thumb at training in mid-February, the 27-year-old was expected to be sidelined for up to two months, which would have had him debuting for the club in Round 6.

Such is Robson's dedication to rehab and determination to make a mark at his new club, he was back on the field in Round 3 as the Roosters took on the Panthers.

And there was no easing himself in for Robson as he played 72 minutes and racked up 43 tackles in the 40-4 defeat.

It marked the beginning of a new chapter for the eight-time Blues Origin rep, who made the move south after six seasons and 131 games with the Cowboys.

“Obviously a big move, but I’ve spent a bit of time down here in Sydney before, so it wasn’t foreign to me,” Robson told NRL.com.

“It’s been really good. I’ve settled in really well.”

The transition has been made easier by familiar faces, with several of Robson’s Blues teammates already at the club, but it was the opportunity to work under coach Trent Robinson that proved the biggest drawcard.

“It’s been unreal. That was a big part of the reason I came to the club,” Robson said.

“After we had a few conversations and the way he sees the game, I really wanted to play under someone like Trent.

“It’s been everything I expected and more.

“I’m learning so much, and that’s exciting, just to keep building throughout the year and growing as a player under him.”

Since the retirement of club legend and three-time premiership winner Jake Friend in 2021, the Roosters' search for a hooker has led them everywhere from Brandon Smith (36 games at hooker) to Ben Marschke (7 games), Drew Hutchison (11 games) and Jake Turpin (9 games).

Across the past two seasons the pivotal dummy-half role has been filled by Connor Watson (21 games), Zach Dockar-Clay (2 games), Benaiah Ioelu (13 games) and Smith, who has since moved on to arch-rivals the Rabbitohs.

When Friend called time on his career, the praise from Robinson was glowing for a man who had given so much to the foundation club.

“Jake has been an incredible player and leader for the Roosters, and while I know that he won’t be comfortable with the accolades, it’s important we acknowledge his achievements over the years," Robinson said.

“Jake’s place in Roosters’ history is assured. He is a man of integrity, and his leadership has been a key driver of the club’s success. He has made those around him better and I’ve loved coaching him."

Comparisons to Friend may well be inevitable for Robson and it's something he embraces as he looks to make his mark in a star-studded spine that also features Daly Cherry-Evans in his first year at the club.

“Friendy was a great player and a great hooker for the club,” he said.

“If I can do a similar job to what Jake did here and hopefully win a couple of premierships like he did, that would be outstanding. If I can do what he did for this club, that would be massive.”

While results across the opening three rounds have been mixed, Robson saw enough enough in his debut game to suggest the Roosters are ready to click.

“It felt really good,” he said.

“Our ball-handling probably wasn’t good enough, and we put ourselves under pressure, but when we held the footy and built some pressure, I thought the connection in the spine was really strong.

“I didn’t feel too uncomfortable out there. We’ve had a long pre-season together, and we’re building those combinations.”