Cooper Cronk to shape GWS’s 2020 leadership group and help build culture of sustained success
Former NRL superstar Cooper Cronk has started his role with GWS and he has a tough first assignment ahead of him, which will shape the club into the future.
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He’s just days into his AFL adventure after a stellar 16-year career in rugby league but Cooper Cronk will be front and centre in shaping a winning future for the GWS Giants.
The former Storm, Roosters and Kangaroos star will play a pivotal role as he first offers support to new skipper Stephen Coniglio and helps to build the leadership team around him.
Two months after retiring from rugby league following back-to-back premierships with the Sydney Roosters — and four NRL titles in all — Cronk will join the Giants for their pre-season camp on the Sunshine Coast this week, where he will first sit down with Coniglio and former co-captains Phil Davis and Callan Ward for a brainstorming session.
Far from merely observing, the 35-year-old will be front and centre in shaping the structure for the forthcoming campaign — and beyond. While Coniglio will be the sole captain, the leadership group to support him is yet to be named.
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“(The makeup of the leadership group) hasn’t been rounded out yet,” Giants head of football Jason McCartney told The Daily Telegraph.
“Cooper will have a session with the guys Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I think, but there’s no timeline in terms of when those decisions (on leadership structure) will be made.
“I met Cooper for the first time this week. He’s unbelievably impressive and he’s an absolute winner. In terms of a leadership role, in this formative stage he’ll play a significant role in seeing how we go about what the leadership group looks like — and also the number. How many do we want to have?”
Cronk will also be looking for the leaders of tomorrow — those individuals who can make big calls in big moments.
“It’s also then identifying another couple of boys that might just sit outside that (2020 leadership group) and keep developing those guys,” McCartney said.
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“I know from my brief discussion with Cooper that his mantra is all about how many players you can bring along, The critical mass, I suppose.
“As a leader, you’re doing everything right and setting this positive example — how many can you drag along with you?
“And if you’ve got three, four, five, whatever the number ends up being in that leadership group, but if you’ve got all of those guys bringing three, four, five along for the journey, you’ve got the critical mass of your list having influence in big moments on field. That’s what’s Cooper’s done over and over and over again for 16 years.”
The Giants will hold three open training sessions during their six-day stay on the Sunshine Coast, including a workout on the beach at Noosa.
Cross-town rivals the Swans are at a training camp in Coffs Harbour this week.