NRL entering crucial six-week period: Coach Robinson

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson believes the NRL is in for a crucial six-week period where premiership front-runners will begin to announce themselves.

NRL head office spoke glowingly about the close nature of the premiership through the early rounds of the season.

In the first five rounds, 75 per cent of games were decided by 12 points or fewer - the highest percentage since 1908.

Only the Wests Tigers had failed to win through four rounds and only Brisbane remained undefeated, with 2022 heavyweights Penrith, Parramatta, South Sydney, Melbourne and the Roosters all faltering early.

But signs of wear and tear have begun showing on the 17 teams and margins have opened up.

The first three games of round nine were decided by an average of 31.7 points, the highest winning margin through three rounds so far this season.

Ahead of his side's clash with the Warriors, Robinson predicted the haves and the have-nots would begin moving further apart between now and the beginning of the State of Origin period in June.

"It's been quite close so far which has created great interest in our competition," he said.

"Naturally the teams that are going to poke their heads up, they're going to do that in the next six weeks and start to separate the competition."

The Roosters have had an unconvincing three weeks, falling to the Storm and Cronulla before staving off a St George Illawarra comeback and winning by a point on Anzac Day.

Robinson conceded his side had room for improvement but remained confident in their ability to re-assert their status as competition heavyweights.

"We're 4-3, would've liked to have picked up a bit better performances," he said.

"We were close against Cronulla and then also down in Melbourne we sort of had a good start and let that slip. 

"We're ready to go.

"There's going to be some separation in the next six weeks that we're going to see and we'll be one of them."

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Warriors to host home games in Australia until late last year so Sunday's clash at Mt Smart Stadium is the Roosters' first in New Zealand since May 2018.

Kiwi-born Roosters Joey Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sitili Tupouniua, Brandon Smith and Jaxson Paulo were looking forward to playing NRL in New Zealand again, with Paulo and Tupouniua set to do so for the first time in their careers.

"Roosters have been made up of Sydney and local area players for 100-odd years and then over the last sort of 40 years, Queenslanders and Kiwis have been a big part of our team," Robinson said.

"It's a proud moment to come back and play in front of the crowd after five years."