Sydney Roosters backrower Angus Crichton will make an earlier-than-expected return to playing rugby league in round seven of the NSW Cup after receiving a clearance from independent doctors, coach Trent Robinson and the Tricolours club doctor.
In a major development for the Moore Park-based club, Crichton has been back in full training for the past three weeks at Roosters headquarters and individually under the tutelage of one of the Tricolours high performance team offsite.
Crichton, 27, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and has twice attended a mental health facility as he works on the road to recovery.
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The NSW State of Origin and Kangaroo Test forward attended last Thursday night’s win over the Parramatta Eels and was in the Roosters dug out during the game and the Allianz Stadium dressing rooms afterwards where Chooks powerbrokers all went out of their way to welcome Crichton back into the club.
There were initial fears the Roosters forward’s career may have been in jeopardy but since a return to training the backrower has made positive progress.
All things being equal Crichton will return to playing in the NSW Cup in round seven when the Roosters play Newtown at Henson Park on Saturday April 15.
Provided everything goes according to plan the NSW Origin and Test backrower is then expected to spend a fortnight or possibly more in NSW Cup before an NRL return is right on the cards.
It’s a huge development for Crichton personally and the Roosters as a club.
Kenty reveals Tigers’ ANZAC jersey lie! | 05:28
THE usual suspects are out and about trying to question why Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart gets a protected species run in the national capital while the Wests Tigers are routinely barbecued every other week.
For the record, the champion NSW and Australian halfback who has been at the helm of the Raiders for ten seasons now is no koala bear.
Let’s compare the pair – the Raiders and last year’s wooden spoon club.
The Wests Tigers are currently in the midst of the NRL’s longest finals drought having failed to make it past August dating all the way back to 2012.
That’s 12 seasons and counting as some of the protesters are preparing to tell club management at the Easter Monday match against Parramatta.
In contrast, Stuart piloted the Green Machine to an unlikely grand final appearance in 2019 and then backed it up in 2020 when the Raiders made it to within 80 minutes of another grand final in a prelim final.
Canberra also went on a late season run last season to qualify for September before upsetting the Melbourne Storm in week one of the finals to make it through to week two.
Sure, the Eels beat them comprehensively but when you consider the recruitment challenges the Raiders face geographically the club has consistently punched well above its weight division.
Now let’s compare the two clubs on the front office scoreboard.
The Raiders have the longest-serving CEO in the game in Don Furner who has grown up with rugby league in his veins.
Furner is liked and respected by most in the game and keeps a low-profile unless required to front-up if there’s an issue like picking Jack Wighton up from the ACT police station in January.
The Wests Tigers have Justin Pascoe – the NRL’s very own version of David Brent from The Office. Enough said.
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POWERFUL Melbourne Storm chairman Matt Tripp is confident the Purple Reign will have a clearer picture about the head coaching future of coach Craig Bellamy within the next two to four weeks.
Where it gets interesting is one of the assistant coaches in the Storm’s showdown with their arch-rivals Sydney Roosters on Thursday night is also one of the prime candidates to assume Bellamy’s mantle if he transitions out of head coaching.
Roosters assistant coach Jason Ryles spent five seasons at the Storm from 2016 to 2020 learning the inner workings of the Purple Reign.
The ex-NSW and Australian frontrower – who also played 47 games for Melbourne – has since spent the past 18 months working under three-time premiership-winner Trent Robinson at the Roosters.
Like the old boxing analogy stipulates, styles make fights.
In Bellamy and Robinson, you have two completely different styles laced with one common thread – premierships and an extremely strong win ratio.
Bellamy and Ryles will face off in the opposing coach’s boxes at AAMI Park in a game guaranteed to be an epic if the Roosters 18-14 win in Melbourne last August is any sort of gauge.
The Storm have a shortlist of candidates in the event Bellamy does decide to transition into a director of coaching style of position next year.
The only perquisite is whoever takes over must have Melbourne Storm DNA meaning they either played or coached at the club.
The list includes Ryles (assistant coach at the Roosters), Michael Maguire (assistant coach at the Raiders), Brett White (assistant coach at Gold Coast), Marc Brentnall (assistant coach at Storm) and the outsider of the field is champion fullback Billy Slater.
There’s a view with his Queensland Origin roles and media commitments Slater is a hundred to one and drifting to want to pursue the rollercoaster role of an NRL head coaching position.
Tripp has gone out of his way to give Bellamy as much time and space needed to make a call on his future.
The three-time premiership-winning coach, 63, has been in charge of the Melbourne Storm for a record 528 NRL games and counting.
After 21 years at the Storm helm Bellamy gave the strongest indication yet this will be his final season as head coach in an interview with NRL 360 in the opening week of this season.
“I’ve said all along we’ll give Craig all the time and space he needs to make a decision,” Tripp said.
“In a perfect world I’d love him to keep coaching for another ten seasons.
“If that can’t happen then we’ll make sure we run a thorough process to find the best candidate to take over.
“Craig will also still be remaining involved with the club – just not in the day-to-day coal-face way he has for the past 21 seasons.
“I’m well aware how important this next decision is.
“The Storm members and fans will want to burn my house down if I don’t get the decision right.”
Parker: How the Broncos revived | 01:27
THE Jack Wighton contract situation has certainly made plenty of clubs get the calculators out and start number crunching.
For the record we’ve said all along it’s a two-horse race between the Canberra Raiders and the Dolphins for the services of the NSW Origin and Australian centre.
The Bulldogs pitch was an interesting one – they’ve come up with the concept of playing Wighton at lock.
Of course the Wests Tigers came flying in off the top turn buckle with an offer starting at $1.3 million per season but it’s hard to see Wighton wanting to go down the Concord road at this point of his career.
The Parramatta Eels and the New Zealand Warriors are the other two clubs who’ve come in heavily.
In reality it’ll most likely come down to a battle between the Canberra Raiders and the Dolphins.
Which is where it gets interesting.
It’s not the first time long-serving NRL coaches Ricky Stuart and Wayne Bennett have been locked in a bidding war for a player.
Back when Bennett was about to return to the Broncos and the Raiders had a teenage rookie called Anthony Milford it developed into an ugly tug-of-war before Brisbane eventually landed Milf’s signature.
The Broncos went on to make the grand final in 2015 with Milford close to winning the Clive Churchill Medal prior to Ben Hunt dropping the kick off in golden point.
Cowboys champion Johnathan Thurston then nailed a field goal to steer North Queensland to the club’s maiden premiership.
One thing for certain – the NRL will be closely viewing the contract wherever Wighton lands.
Anything less than the $1.1 million per season the Raiders have tabled will be closely analysed.
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LAURIE Daley makes it into the grand final every day of the week in terms of the best people you’ll meet in rugby league.
A country boy from Junee, in 20 years of knowing Daley he’s always been thoroughly decent, extremely respectful of everyone no matter where they’re from, who they follow or whatever other political curve ball might be tossed on the table.
Predictably, the cancel culture vultures decided the smart play on Wednesday this week was to attack Daley for comments he made about Jarryd Hayne.
If they actually listen to everything – lock, stock and barrel – Daley said then frankly it’s hard to comprehend why they’ve all gone so apoplectic.
Daley is a good man. End of story.
