Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson can see light at the end of the tunnel despite his side's NRL premiership hopes being all but extinguished before the season's halfway mark.
After Monday's 26-6 upset loss to Gold Coast, the 15th-placed Roosters are facing the colossal challenge of having to win 10 of their final 14 matches to play September football.
While they have been rocked by injuries to star players and been forced to blood youngsters in key positions, the Roosters have underperformed in the first 10 weeks.
Despite being 2-8 and headed towards missing the finals for the first time in Robinson's tenure - which has yielded three straight minor premierships - the coach said he could see positives to their campaign.
"It's been a really good coaching experience for the first 10 rounds," Robinson said on Fox Sports on Wednesday.
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"It's hard to explain to people that it's exciting. It's uncomfortable (and) doesn't mean that it's good, but it is exciting.
"I see hope each week in our team. Monday was the toughest, ethically that was something I hadn't seen in a while."
Robinson said he expected a sharp improvement in the very near future.
"For the first 10 weeks I've seen a side that wants to improve but can't get it done at the moment," Robinson said.
"I also see hope. I'm not talking about a year or two, I'm talking about weeks."
