James Tedesco has been at the pinnacle of rugby league for the past five years - but the Sydney Roosters captain endured perhaps his most difficult season from a performance aspect in 2023.
While his early-career issues with injuries were undoubtedly a tough obstacle to overcome, Tedesco was faced with a new challenge this year, with calls for him to be dropped from both NSW and Australian duties.
The 30-year-old struggled in the State of Origin arena, with the Maroons scoring a second-straight series victory, while the patchy form of the Tricolours in club land only exacerbated Tedesco's own issues.
However, a late-season surge from the Roosters saw the powerhouse NRL club sneak into the finals, before eventually being eliminated by the Storm in heartbreaking fashion.
MORE: Brandon Smith dissects rollercoaster Sydney Roosters season
Brandon Smith praises Roosters captain James Tedesco
Speaking on the latest episode of The Sporting News/YKTR's EBBS AND FLOWS, star teammate Brandon Smith was full of praise for the Roosters skipper in the manner in which he dealt with the criticism.
“He was cool, calm and collected – he is chill," Smith said.
"Every day, he is the same person and he never really came in [to training] down on himself.
"He’s very passionate and he loves the Roosters, he loves the club, he loves rugby league – it’s hard for him. He wears his heart on his sleeve, even when he talks, he gets emotional a lot.
"As far as the media and all that, I think he’s been around a long time and he’s seen it all before, it never really affected him."
Tedesco has kept his spot in the Kangaroos lineup for the upcoming Pacific Championships, with the squad remaining largely the same as last year's successful World Cup outfit.
Despite pressure from the like of Reece Walsh, Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Edwards for the green and gold No.1 jumper, Smith believes that Tedesco's strengths still make him a threat on a weekly basis.
"I think his guns is to play around the middle and fatigue the middle and that’s what the halves job is... I feel like Dylan Edwards does the exact same role as Teddy," he said.
"Those guys that play that outside role, sometimes if they’re not involved in the game and the game is getting away from them, they can’t really get into it.
"In the grand final, Reecey was exactly like that… I think they could take lessons from each other.
"Reece and Kalyn [Ponga] could take lessons from Dylan and Teddy – it’s good to have those big moments, but you want a player that’s consistently there."
