Josh Mansour has opened up on his fractious relationship with South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou, telling James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast about how he was dropped from the first grade squad with little warning.

“I didn’t see eye-to-eye with the coach, which was a shame,’ said the former winger.

“I was so frustrated that final year. It’s pre-season and he told me I was going to be on that right edge with ‘Stretch’ (Campbell Graham), he wants me to build my combination with him and he fully believed in me.

“Round 1 comes, he names the side on Tuesday, I was in the team and then on Thursday’s captain’s run I’m coming in and I get a text from him saying to come to his office.

“I thought it was a bit bizarre.

“He told me that he was going to rest me for that week. I was like, ‘rest me for that week? It’s Round 1, why would you name me if you thought I needed a rest?’

“And then he said ‘I just want you to get a couple of weeks under your belt’. I’m like ‘okay, no worries, all good’.”

Mansour revealed how Demetriou had dropped him without telling him.

“He texted me again on captain’s run and I go ‘I think I know’,” said Mansour.

“I had a feeling it was going to be the same conversation I had in Round 1.

“I walked to my locker (first) to see if my captain’s run jersey was hanging and it wasn’t there, so I already had my answer. I already knew what was going to happen.

“I walked in… and straight off the bat he goes ‘I’m going to rest you this week.’ I’m like ‘Oh, what for?’ So I pressed him — I didn’t say that the first time.

“He goes ‘I thought you missed too many tackles last week’. I go, ‘can you show me?’ And I made him bring it up, it was like two missed tackles.

“There was one, it was a four on two on the short side, 10 meters off our line and I had to sit on the lead. (Reuben) Garrick was at the back, I checked, released and Garrick tipped onto the winger and I tried diving on the last ditch tackle to get to (Christian) Tuipulotu.

“I’m like, ‘what do you want to do there? Like I did my best’. He said, ‘yeah that was a bit harsh’.

“And the other one was, I jammed Garrick at the back and I kind of just bumped off him, re-gripped and took him to the ground.

“I go, ‘am I getting dropped for that?’ And he just couldn’t answer me.

“Then he tried rewinding for weeks before… And I go, ‘am I getting dropped for my performance last week or am I getting to drop for something that was weeks ago?’

“He didn’t answer me.

“From that day on, I checked out, fully checked out. I slammed my chair in and I go, ‘this is f***ing bulls**t’ and I walked out.”

Robinson coy on Keary

Trent Robinson faces crucial decisions on the make up of his Sydney Roosters backline with Billy Smith set to be fit to face arch-rivals South Sydney on Friday.

The Roosters had another scare in Sunday’s 21-14 NRL loss to Manly, with Luke Keary suffering a head knock late in the defeat at Brookvale.

Keary left the field after his head collided with Tom Trbojevic’s knee while chasing through on a kick, and he remained on the turf after the contact.

The Roosters five-eighth was ordered off the field for a check, but the timing meant it was completed after fulltime and club officials were coy on its outcome.

“I haven’t got to him individually yet, but he was in there in a fairly good way there,” coach Trent Robinson said. 

If Keary was to fail the test, or be diagnosed with delayed concussion during the week, he would automatically be ruled out of the Roosters’ clash with the Rabbitohs.

Keary has had a difficult history with concussions but had a clear run for the past year before Sunday’s head knock.

If he was to miss the grudge match with Souths, it is likely Sandon Smith would wear No.6 for the Roosters.

Another option could be Joey Manu.

Billy Smith missed the opening two rounds of the season with a hamstring injury, but Robinson said on Sunday he expected the centre to be available to face Souths.

A year-long squeeze looms in the Roosters backline, with Daniel Tupou, Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Dom Young and Smith all fighting for four spots.

Robinson has previously indicated he will rotate roles early in the season, and Manu’s history of playing at No.6 could provide an easy solution this week.

The Roosters could also look for answers from the NRL on a controversial Manly try early in Sunday’s game.

After Tom Trbojevic chased through on a Luke Brooks bomb, the Manly fullback appeared to take out James Tedesco as he went to catch the ball.

The bunker cleared the play, allowing Lachlan Croker to be awarded the first try of the match after he scooped up the loose ball.

“It was pretty clear that that wasn’t (a try),” Robinson said. 

“They sent so many clips on that, obviously it was a no try. It’s pretty simple. 

“I don’t think we would have won the game on the back of that, but it was pretty simple. 

“That’s been the rule that they’ve sent out and they’ve been really clear on that and penalised it. So that was a strange one.”

Manly questioned a no-try call for Haumole Olakau’atu, with coach Anthony Seibold unconvinced the second-rower fumbled the ball on the way to the line.

With AAP