How St George Illawarra sparked the Roosters premiership run

It was the day the Dragons revealed themselves as genuine NRL premiership contenders. 

And it was the day Roosters fans hit the panic button after a 24-8 drubbing in which the team's star-studded attack looked lost. 

The Dragons forward pack monstered the Roosters for the entire match, with Tariq Sims seemingly honing in on a target painted on halfback Cooper Cronk's chest. 

Sims was supported by the remainder of the Dragons pack, with Jack de Belin and Paul Vaughan rocketing into State of Origin contention on the back of an outstanding defensive performance. 

The Roosters controlled possession and territory for large portions of the game, yet there was no way through the Dragons defensive wall. 

The fallout to such a disappointing Roosters performance on such a big stage was swift, with Roosters consultant Andrew Johns pulling no punches in his criticism of the team's attack. 

Now having won the 2018 NRL premiership with a 21-6 victory over the Storm, fullback James Tedesco, one of the team's prized recruits, concedes Anzac Day was the first time he feared the pieces of the Roosters attacking puzzle were not going to fit. 

“Obviously you look at our team and we’ve got talented players all over the park, it did take a while to get clicking,” Tedesco said.

“Me and [Luke] Keary after Anzac Day, we looked at each other and thought ‘oh this isn’t how we planned it.’ So me and Keary were a bit, we didn’t know [if the attack was going to come together].”

The defeat forced the Roosters into wholesale changes to their attacking structures, with coach Trent Robinson admitting after Sunday's grand final that the team completely overhauled their game plan. 

Tedesco, who is set to make his Kangaroos debut in a fortnight, said Cronk was a pillar of calmness throughout the entire period, never doubting that the team's attack would come together in the second half of the season. 

“Throughout the whole year, even when we weren’t playing good, he [Cronk] was the settling voice in our team.

“He was the one who said, ‘the more we practice, the more we train, the more we know each other’s strengths and roles, that will get us there.’

“With his experience, he said ‘I’ve been in this game for 14 years, so let’s just keep practicing, keep training together and it will come’ and that’s pretty much what happened.”