Cooper Cronk plays through pain to help Roosters reach grand final
A SHOULDER injury threw Cooper Cronk so badly out of whack, he couldn’t kick for touch. Couldn’t kick at all. Or tackle.But the latter, Cronk did anyway. More than once.
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SO Cooper Cronk is rushing up in the defensive line.
Left arm dangling by his side, completely limp.
The scores are locked.
On the clock, a tick under 40 minutes to play.
And every member of this sold out Allianz Stadium crowd united in one thought: “He couldn’t … could he?”
For yes, this Roosters No. 7 is something of a September specialist.
Seven grand finals, four premierships and one Clive Churchill medal.
And, sure, there are a couple of asterisks in there, too.
But you get the idea.
This night, this game, it’s why the Tricolours paid Cronk $1 million.
And it’s because with two arms, the bloke is a finals freak. But one?
Again, he couldn’t … could he?
For here was a playmaker so badly thrown out of whack, he couldn’t kick for touch. Couldn’t kick at all. Or tackle.
But the latter, Cronk did anyway. More than once.
For if you reckon the Rabbitohs pack — led by those spitting, charging Burgeii — like attacking a little man, how about one with only the right limb operating?
Truly, Christians had more hope against the lions.
And then it got worse.
Much worse.
With a dozen minutes to play, and the Roosters shifting left, Cronk received the Steeden, passed on, and then … one Mississippi … two Mississippi … thwack …
Souths forward Junior Tatola monstered him so late, it was almost Sunday morning.
And not surprisingly, the Roosters No. 7 stayed down.
In the type of pain only he will know.
But guess what? He got up.
Of course he did.
Just as he would play a hand in the Roosters second try, push teammates around the park and, time after unthinkable time, put his body in the way of anyone who charged at him.
For this was the story of the night.
Had been since the dying seconds before half-time.
When with the Roosters marquee man took a field-goal attempt, missed and was then hit awkwardly by Souths opposite Adam Reynolds.
Not enough to draw an ‘oooh’ from the crowd. But enough to see him leave for the break with that left arm hanging by his side.
Which proved a little, err, problematic.
Like early in the second half, when hooker Jake Friend tried to save him from kicking and, instead, sent the ball out on the full. Or plenty of times after that, when players around the No. 7 were forced to do things defensively they wouldn’t normally, or shouldn’t, to protect their halfback.
And while Cronk’s arm hung limp, the Roosters hung tough. Luke Keary was outstanding. Rookie centre Paul Momirovski would score the match winner. In his second NRL game.
Against the club he grew up a junior of.
But this is September. With Cronk, as always, the story.