Injured Sydney Roosters captain Braith Anasta has declared that his side’s form over the past two months does not warrant the spoon making an appearance at Bondi.
Currently the Tricolours sit in last place with two rounds to play, with a points differential of 44 the only thing separating themselves from the Cronulla Sharks on 14 competition points.
Anasta, who is recovering from a horror ankle injury, said he was disappointed to see his side in the position they were but stopped short of passing on the dreaded prize.
“You look at other teams and I feel we’ve played better than some of them, which makes it unfortunate that we are in this position,†the 27-year-old said.
“There’s not much we can do about that now, it’s of our own doing. The boys just have to turn up for the remaining games and give it their best shot.
“I can’t really say that we don’t deserve the spoon because we haven’t played the best footy. If you look at other teams you’d think that we are better than a few of them,†he said.
A combination of untimely injuries to key players and the inability to close out tight contests has seen the Roosters and fans alike suffer painful defeats on an almost weekly basis.
Anasta wears his heart on his sleeve on-field so there is little surprise that he admits his time on the sidelines has proved that he is not a great onlooker.
“It’s been a bit of a disaster year,†Anasta declared.
“It’s been hard for me because the game I got injured in was probably around the time we really started to put some better performances together.
“Some serious injuries to other players and losing close games has been frustrating to watch. It’s a year we’d all rather forget.
“I would have liked to be a part of the last 10 weeks to try and help contribute to a couple of wins so we could avoid the spoon. I do feel helpless and I wish I could have done more to get us out of this position but I couldn’t,†he said.
The Roosters face a tough ask travelling to the graveyard this weekend when they take on the Melbourne Storm in what could be their last game at Olympic Park.
The last game at the Sydney Football Stadium beckons as the Tricolours best chance to snare a win.
Anasta said it is too hard to call given the game is a fortnight away but insists the players will be up for the match as it marks the end for Craig Fitzgibbon and several other Roosters.
Snaring a dramatic win on the last day to avoid the unwanted tag of seasons worst could be the best chance to give the departing a fitting farewell.
“That would be good and the least the boys good do for Fitzy,†Anasta said.
“Fitzy’s been a stalwart and some that every player looks up to. He deserves more and deserves more than what everyone has presented over the last couple of weeks.
“If everyone played as hard as Fitzy does in the last couple of games there is a good chance we can get the win needed to send him out on a positive.â€