Roosters milestones reveal game's oldest truth

"I won't be discussing that at all."

Trent Robinson shot down the question about back-to-back NRL titles before it was even fully out of the mouth that asked it.

Horses, carts and all that.

Instead, in the wake of a 58-6 Titans thumping that put the rest of the competition on red alert, Robinson picked apart as inconsequential play as you'll find in a 10-tries-to-one drubbing.

Cooper Cronk cleaning up a Gold Coast grubber when James Tedesco had slipped over, turning a Titans consolation try into a repeat set the Roosters duly shut out.

A question following interim-Titans coach Craig Hodges' deserved bake for the visitors was what instigated Robinson's analysis.

Hodges fears the Gold Coast's lack of effort could prove career-defining if it's repeated with little to gain over the final five rounds of the season.

Robinson, the exact opposite, as his side flexes its premiership muscle once more.

"I don't think you need to look far for that, that often ends up a try in most games and then a Cooper Cronk gets rewards for hard work," Robinson began.

"He got his 100th try today, and ends up saving one at the other end.

"I'd say he might be more on the try saves than he actually is on the tries.

"And [in] his 350-odd games it's his 100th try but there's more than 100 try saves from him because of effort.

"Not because of speed or some innate ability to see what's going to happen ahead of time, he just keeps moving.

"People want Cooper Cronks in their club. And we're fortunate to have him in the end but it's about the effort he'll make all the time."

Cronk arguably arrived at the Roosters as one of few players with personal standards that trumped what's expected at the club.

Fellow milestone man Brett Morris – his first try of three against the Titans made him just the 12th man past 150 four-pointers - making himself at home too, in an NRL age where players are especially precious about where and how they're deployed.

"He came [to the Roosters] as a winger, he's a specialist winger," Robinson said.

"Everyone knows him as that. He's played left centre, right centre, right wing, left wing, fullback and he's defended in the half position [against Melbourne in his return from injury].

"There's a guy that's willing to do whatever it takes to do a job for a team.

"Then he goes back to the wing and he gets his rewards because of for the work he's put in for others throughout the course of the season."

Twenty-year-old hooker Sam Verrills, just six games into his career, joined them with a four-pointer to savour.

Reward for effort as the final siren sounded, a couple of Titans defenders left in his wake as he bullied his way to a maiden NRL try.

"It was really good for us to see Brett Morris get 150 [tries] today as well… and for Sam Verrills to get one. They're players at two ends of the spectrum, it was a nice day for that, for reward on effort.

"For Sam Verrills, I could've easily brought him off as a 20-year-old kid playing a couple of games, but he gets his try in the 80th minute.

"And it wasn't just a barge over, he had to work and fight to get over. What Craig's talking about there is the effort areas end up paying rewards and they do."

Robinson refused to talk about the Roosters' bid for consecutive titles.

He then proceeded to do exactly that as he held court on rugby league's oldest truth.