A flurry of victories at the back end of the year will be the only silver lining Sydney Roosters captain Braith Anasta takes away from a bitterly disappointing 2011 NRL season.

The Roosters started the season full of confidence following last year's fairytale run to the grand final, just 12 months after claiming the wooden spoon.

However, with last year's talisman and Dally M Medallist Todd Carney falling off the rails due to a series of alcohol-related incidents, the Roosters have lost 14 games, and end a poor campaign against ladder leaders Melbourne on Sunday.

The former Canterbury playmaker admitted the 12th-placed Roosters' fall from grace had been a bitter pill to swallow.

"We've been bitterly disappointed with where we are on the table and how we've probably played the whole season," Anasta said on Friday.

"We wanted to not only play finals but we wanted to win the comp at the start of the year.

"That sort of changed pretty early on in the season with our form and it was disappointing."

Anasta said dealing with his side's poor form and off-field matters had made 2011 a "busy" season, but tasting success in their past three games had boosted morale.

"You'd rather it be more focused on football," he said.

"Obviously last year, it was great making the grand final.

"You have your ups and downs. It's just part of being a captain. It's part of playing rugby league.

"We're not proud of where we finished this year but all we can do now is finish strong and try and win games at the back end and we've done that."

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