Sydney Roosters reveal plans for Angus Crichton with NRL return on the radar
Angus Crichton makes his return to rugby league this weekend after an off-field illness battle but he won’t be in reserve grade for long.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson isn’t expecting Angus Crichton to spend too much time in reserve grade as the World Cup winning back-rower prepares to make his return to rugby league after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Crichton hasn’t played since the World Cup final and has been on indefinite leave since the diagnosis, but he has been named for the Roosters in their NSW Cup clash against the Jets at Henson Park on Saturday.
There’s no definitive timeframe on when he’ll return to the NRL, but it sounds like he could be back as early as Anzac Day depending on how he goes this weekend.
“Physically he’s in really good shape so I don’t think it’ll be too long. A good indication will be the weekend’s game, but I feel like it won’t be too long,” Robinson said on Thursday, confident that his star edge forward won’t be sledged by rival players.
“The plan is for him to get started and go back and play back row. Somewhere between 50-80 minutes depending on how it goes during the game.
“He’s been in really good shape and he’s been really good at training so it’s time to start playing. He missed a lot of that pre-season period, and you can’t replicate that during the season, so we need to ramp it up during reserve grade.”
Crichton isn’t the only big name set to return on Saturday with former Eel Nathan Brown to start at lock in his first game of 2023.
The cavalry is also starting to come back in first grade with skipper James Tedesco clearing concussion protocols after missing the loss to the Storm, while veteran prop Matt Lodge is back on the bench for the first time since he suffered a facial fracture in the opening round.
Getting the big dogs back is a huge boost as the Roosters prepare for a tricky game against a Sharks side that is fresh off the bye but missing some key forwards, including Dale Finucane who was suspended for a hip-drop tackle.
Discipline has also been in the spotlight for the Roosters this week with Victor Radley avoiding a ban for his late shot on Cameron Munster that resulted in a costly sin bin.
It was the seventh time he’d been sent to the sin bin during his NRL career, with the Roosters losing every time he was marched for 10 minutes.
Keeping Radley on the field is imperative given the way he controls the middle, but Robinson refuted claims he needed to pull his firebrand into line.
“It’s not as simple as sitting down and saying ‘stop doing that’. That’s not how players work and it’s not the attitude you want them to play with,” he said.
“There’s a fine line for those guys in that position, and it’s about the maturity and the moulding of himself differently at different times. He’s on that path and I don’t need to sit down with him again.
“He slightly got it wrong, but that doesn’t shift (his approach). He knows where his game is at and where it’s headed. Let’s keep him on the field.”
Originally published as Sydney Roosters reveal plans for Angus Crichton with NRL return on the radar
$800k reserve grader: Inside Newcastle’s roster Knightmare
Adam O’Brien has led Newcastle to consecutive finals appearances but the Knights know they must reshape their roster to take the next step. But can he do it without losing control of the season before it begins?
Inside Gould’s rousing six-minute speech that will terrify NRL rivals
On Tuesday night, Phil Gould held an extraordinary gathering of 850 guests and Bulldogs luminaries in the palm of his hand for six minutes, revealing a mission statement that should frighten the rest of the NRL, writes DAVID RICCIO.