NRL SuperCoach 2019 player in focus: Angus Crichton

Angus Crichton comes into the season as an elite SuperCoach backrower, but SuperCoaches have deserted him.

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Angus Crichton comes into the season as an elite SuperCoach backrower, having finished 10th and 13th for total points in the last two years.

However, SuperCoaches are running scared with Crichton currently owned by 13.2 per cent, well down on last year’s closing total of 25.5 per cent.

The 2018 NSW debutant has moved from the Rabbitohs to the Roosters, with SuperCoaches presumably turned off by question marks over his role and game time.

However, at 13.2 per cent ownership, he also screams POD.

Angus Crichton suits up for the Roosters this year.

MR CONSISTENT

Crichton has made a name for himself as one of the most reliable backrowers in SuperCoach. His stats from the last two seasons make for sweet reading:

2018

* Average 69.1

* Ranked 10th in competition for total points

* Ranked third of all backrowers

* Averaged most game time of any forward in the NRL (79.4 minutes)

* Played fifth most minutes of any forward in the competition (1,976 minutes)

* Scored below 50 just three times

* Averaged 52 in pure base stats

2017

* Average 68.6

* Ranked 13th for total points

* Ranked sixth for backrowers

* Averaged 70.6 minutes

* Top score of 166, the equal eighth highest score of all-time

* Averaged 46 in pure base stats

Angus Crichton played big minutes at the Rabbitohs last year.

MINUTE MAN

Crichton was locked into an 80 minute right edge back row spot for the entire 2018 season. He averaged the most game time of any forward in the NRL (79.4 minutes), leaving no room for improvement in 2019. Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold invariably played both edge backrowers for the full game, with Crichton’s left edge partner John Sutton playing the most game time of any forward in the competition (2,081 minutes at an average of 77 mins a game, over 27 games).

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Encouragingly for Crichton’s 2019 prospects, Roosters coach Trent Robinson followed a similar plan last year. Left edge backrower Boyd Cordner averaged 77 minutes. He hasn’t averaged below 75 minutes in the last four seasons. On the right edge, Ryan Matterson — the player Crichton directly replaces — averaged 75.3 minutes to start the season before a string of serious concussions and positional switches saw his minutes drop.

To sum up, while it’s near-impossible for Crichton’s minutes to improve in 2019, he should still play 80 minutes most weeks.

CRONK FACTOR

Cooper Cronk will feed Crichton the ball in 2019.

Despite his lofty SuperCoach ranking, Crichton managed just three tries last year and was forced to rely on base stats. Crichton played outside Adam Reynolds, who is more noted as a kicker and organiser than a ball player.

However, in 2019 Crichton will play on the Roosters’ right edge outside Cooper Cronk — arguably the best spot for a backrower in the competition.

Matterson scored five tries in the opening 10 rounds when playing outside Cronk last year. In 2017 at the Storm, Cronk formed a formidable combination with Felise Kaufusi, who notched eight tries and 11 linebreaks for the season.

It’s therefore fair to predict an upturn in attacking stats for Crichton in 2019.

VERDICT

Subtract a few points per game for a drop in minutes (albeit very slight), add a few points for the Cronk factor, and you end up about even. I expect a similar average from Crichton this year and his 13.2 per cent ownership is therefore criminally low. POD.