‘How do you remember them all?’: Stephen Crichton bringing the personal touch to Blue

Stephen Crichton opens up on his growth as a club captain and the surprising role that personalised handshake celebrations play in the job.

Stephen Crichton practises his handshake with Joseph Suaalii. Picture: NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous

Keep your eyes on Stephen Crichton when NSW score a try against Queensland on Wednesday night.

When the moment comes, the camera should follow the huge Blues centre’s every move and wait for the man with the most dedicated post-try celebration in the game.

In what he describes as a crucial part of his leadership, Crichton this season at Canterbury, has replaced the typical hug, back-slap or high-five following a try with a personalised handshake for everyone of his teammates.

In total, Crichton has more than 25 different handshakes for his teammates that he remembers – and the NSW Blues players are next.

“I’ve got one with the whole Bulldogs starting team and there’s a lot of NSW Cup (reserve grade) players that I’ve got a handshake with too,’’ Crichton said.

“Even the Bulldogs boys ask me, ‘How do you remember them all?’

“Now I’ve started working out more with the Blues boys.’’

Crichton says every handshake is different and personalised.

“The way I remember each handshake is by making it unique and tailored to the player,’’ Crichton said.

“Max King (Bulldogs forward) has got that offload, so we have that (offload) action in the handshake.

“Me and Fox (Josh Addo-Carr) have had the same one ever since I first met him in 2020 in NSW Origin camp.

“His one is the jersey grab, so we finish our handshake with that. So it’s pretty easy.

“Burto (Matt Burton), I also finish with the jersey grab as well.

“It’s pretty special.’’

Aside from boasting one of the best memories in the game, there’s a serious element to why Crichton has a handshake repertoire for each of his teammates.

It is born from Crichton, the former three-time premiership-winning Panthers, being named Canterbury captain in his first season at the club.

“In my time at Penrith, especially when I was coming through the grades, I had a lot of leaders there that made me feel comfortable,’’ Crichton said.

“Especially under Nathan (Cleary) and Isaah (Yeo), they love their players and I took that into my own style when I went to the Dogs and I got named captain.

“To have that relationship with the boys, no matter whether we’re playing good or bad, you still have to have that deep connection with them.

“Ciro (Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo) talks about connection a lot and that’s something that we’re trying to build at the club.

“So the handshakes, that’s the thing where, I want them to feel special and have that connection with me, once I see them.’’

Crichton celebrating with Max King. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Crichton’s transition as a leader at Canterbury recently led Ciraldo to hail the champion centre as influential as having another coach on the field.

The two-time Dally M centre of the year said he was savouring the leadership role.

“I’m enjoying it a lot,’’ Crichton said.

“I wasn’t going there for the captaincy, but I can see myself as a leader.

“Coming from a team that has been to four grand finals, I knew coming into the Dogs that a lot of boys would look up to me.”

“I knew that I would have to use my voice a lot more than I did at Penrith. I’ve tried to be myself and teach what I’ve learned in my past so that the boys can get a lesson out of it.”

Crichton said one NSW teammate he was eager to help guide through his State of Origin debut was fellow centre Joseph Suaalii.

“It’s going to be awesome to sit down and see how we can make each other better,’’ Crichton said.

“I’ve done a lot in the game, but I’ve still got a lot to learn as well. I still make mistakes and I can still learn from the younger boys as well.

“He’s a talent and I can learn a lot from him.’’

Asked if he had a special handshake for the young Roosters star, Crichton said: “I definitely will.’’