Christian ‘Samoan Sauce’ Crichton in line to make Penrith debut after DWZ busted jaw

HIS teammates reckon he has a “horrible haircut’’, never wears his shirt, rivals fellow winger Josh Mansour when it comes to the best body at Penrith, but can definitely finish a try.

HIS teammates reckon he has a “horrible haircut’’, never wears his shirt, rivals fellow winger Josh Mansour when it comes to the best body at Penrith, but can definitely finish a try.

Just hours after news emerged Panthers flyer Dallin Watene-Zelezniak played with a broken jaw and would miss the next six weeks, his likely replacement, Christian Crichton, trained on the right wing ahead of his likely NRL debut against Canterbury tomorrow.

The 21-year-old nicknamed ‘Critter’ was on standby for Watene-Zelezniak before round one, and spent plenty of time over the summer and in the trials playing outside centre Waqa Blake.

He featured in the forgettable trial loss against a second-string Canterbury team playing outside of Waqa Blake.

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Christian Crichton is in line to debut for Penrith in round three. Picture. Phil Hillyard

While coach Anthony Griffin has the option of starting the more experienced Tyrone Peachey off the bench in the centres and moving Blake to the wing, or even opting for another debutant like Tom Eisenhuth, Crichton looks set to become the latest Penrith junior to step into the big leagues.

Should Crichton get the nod, he will come up against Bulldogs international Brett Morris, who made his first-grade debut when Crichton was just 10 years of age.

“He’s got a horrible haircut, but he’s a strong runner and I thought he was good in the trials we had,’’ James Maloney said of Crichton.

Fullback Dylan Edwards added: “You should see the rig on him. He’d be on par with ‘Sauce’. He’ll be ready to go. He’s a strong ball-carrier and finisher. He’d be a good fit.’’

Crichton trained on the wing for Penrith on Wednesday. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Crichton told The Daily Telegraph on the eve of the season he was keen to make his debut, and learned plenty from Garth Brennan before he left Penrith to become head coach of the Gold Coast Titans.

“Last year helped set me up this year, I had to be smarter and stronger and couldn’t run over the top of everybody or bump them off like the twenties,’’ Crichton said.

“Garth was always straight up and would tell me when I did something wrong. He even sent me back to Ron Massey (Cup) and told me it would make me a better player and get the little stuff right.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak played 80 minutes against the Rabbitohs with a fractured jaw.

“I’ve been waiting for this (start) a long time, and if it comes I’ll definitely be ready.’’

Crichton, who has five brothers and a sister and attended Patrician Brothers Blacktown, has experienced the last three Grand Finals at ANZ Stadium, including last year’s triumph with the Panthers reserve grade side.

He broke down a week before the 2015 decider for the Panthers Holden Cup team, and was replaced by Edwards.

Told about the ‘Sauce’ comparisons, the ‘Samoan Sauce’ quipped: “Sauce is on another level. He’s always got the comb sand wax ready, the moisturiser, and he’s always got the shirt off.’’

Peachey prefers to play centre, but has been just as effective off the bench, including last weekend when he scored the winner late in the second half against South Sydney.