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Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has shouldered the blame for their shock 38-12 humbling by Newcastle in the NRL.
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson admits he cost his team the game in their loss to Newcastle after his questionable selections went awry.
Veteran Cooper Cronk was rested from Friday's match, while Latrell Mitchell had an unhappy night at five-eighth following the early loss of Luke Keary.
"I ended up costing the team, one of the best players that played our game (wasn't) playing tonight. That's on me," Robinson said.
"I put pressure on players tonight."
With new face Brock Lamb on the bench, Robinson remained hopeful his team would fight back from losing their key playmaker and being in an early 10-0 hole.
However Lamb struggled to make an impact against an unrelenting Newcastle outfit that rolled the Roosters over 38-12.
Robinson denied regretting his decision to sit Cronk.
"Right now you can look at it that way, but I'm not going to walk the path we've all walked to go get the same result," he said.
"I know what's best for the team, and it didn't come off tonight so a big part of tonight, I've got to shoulder the responsibility for that."
Robinson said Lamb would be needed in coming weeks as the club prepares to lose Keary to State of Origin duty with NSW.
Another back-up playmaker in Lachlan Lam is also out with a wrist injury.
"We wanted to get Brock in because we thought Luke might be away bit for the next six weeks," Robinson said.
"Then he came in as really the only half on the field there. And it end up being a tough night, but he wasn't alone. That's not on him, that's on us as a team."
Asked if he thought the Knights may have been offended by Cronk's resting, Robinson said: "It was more of a respect for all of our squad.
"It'll take 25 players to play how we want to play and it didn't work tonight.
"It has worked this year, and it didn't work tonight. That's on me for that.
"But you're not going to change course. I'm not going to all of a sudden run guys into the ground throughout the course of the whole season.
"We'll get them fresh, we'll get them ready."
