A frustrating season ended in celebration for centre Ryan Cross after receiving the Jack Gibson Medal as NRL club Sydney Roosters' Player of the Year.

Cross, 25, had his year marred by a six-game ban for eye gouging in June.

He returned with three regular season rounds left but could not stop the Roosters missing the finals for the first time since 1995.

However, the powerful centre had done enough to hold out highly fancied Test fullback Anthony Minichiello to collect the medal presented by Gibson's wife, Judy, at the Easts Leagues Club.

"It's a great surprise and a great honour to win, I think we all thought Mini would get it," Cross said.

"It's a special award, particularly because the players vote on it."

Meanwhile, NSW pivot Braith Anasta joined the Roosters for his first training session on Tuesday.

Recruited from defending premiers the Bulldogs, Anasta said he believed he would become a "better player" at the Bondi Junction club.

"I'm struggling a little. It (training) was a good experience, I had an enjoyable week with the boys from Canterbury so having a session on Tuesday was pretty hard," he said.

In other news, Roosters backrower Craig Fitzgibbon said missing the finals may have cost him a Tri-Nations spot.

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