Roosters coach Trent Robinson has no doubts his side can bounce back from their 19-18 qualifying final loss to Penrith on Saturday night, saying this is what having a second chance in the finals is all about.
"We're usually a pretty positive team no matter what situation we're in. We'll get up for next week, there'll be no doubt about that. It'll hurt for a couple of days, we missed an opportunity there but what do you do. We fought hard to get a second chance so we're going to take that.
"It'll be against an opponent that's confident because they've won their semi there – we'll just have to play an extra week there."
That opponent will be the Cowboys after they accounted for Brisbane 32-20 in an elimination final straight after the Roosters game.
Robinson described the team's efforts as "very disappointing".
"We were a bit all over the shop. The nerves got to us, we were trying to score tries and win the game in the first half. We weren't as clinical as what we usually are, we weren't patient and pressuring, we got a bit flustered there.
"It was a really stop-start game and it just got away from us. We were in control, we were probably leading for most of the game but we were under pressure for most of the game as well and that's why Penrith deserved to win, they played their moments well and that's why they get the week off."
He said the side had been building well in recent weeks but hadn't controlled this game like it had recent games.
"We made some really simple errors, gave way too many 20-metre restarts away, we just didn't pressure them enough. They had energy at the end and that's why they got the win.
"We had a couple of opportunities to win that game (after Mitch Pearce's try made it 18-12) and we almost did it," he said.
"It was lots of little things, it's no-one's fault, we didn't do it as a team right throughout the game."
Roosters skipper Anthony Minichiello, in his 300th NRL game, said the side was guilty of offloading to players who were in a worse position than the ball runners.
"We just didn't build our game, we tried to win it in the first half. We're disappointed, there's no doubt about it but as coach said we fought had to get a second chance. We're still in it," Minichiello said.
On the 2014 surprise packets Penrith, who now find themselves with a week off then one game away from a grand final appearance, Robinson said they've "deserved what they've got".
"People wrote them off about two months ago. People talk about them being in the four but they've been there for a long time and coaches like me sit up and expect [to beat them] – we missed opportunities and think we should have won but coaches have been doing that all year against Penrith and we forgot that they go out and win those games. That's what they did to us tonight, credit to them."
