The reasons for and against Mitchell Pearce staying with the Sydney Roosters

MITCHELL Pearce faces one of the toughest decisions of his life this summer — will he stay with the Roosters or will he go?

Roosters Mitchell Pearce during the round 3 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and the Sydney Roosters at Pepper Stadium, Penrith. Picture: Gregg Porteous

NOW that Cooper Cronk is confirmed to be a Rooster for the next two seasons, the question that will dominate the summer is this — will Mitchell Pearce stay or will he go?

The Roosters have made it clear they want Pearce to stay, accept a two-year demotion to bench utility, learn under Cronk and reassume the halfback duties in 2020.

Manly are interested in Pearce. So are the Knights and the Sharks. Pearce must decide if he can swallow his pride and become the highest paid bench player in the business or if he wants to leave the only club he’s ever known and take up somewhere else.

So what’s the best move? We outline the reasons for and against both of the choices before Pearce.

WHY HE SHOULD STAY

If Pearce was to stay at the Roosters he’d be a on a pretty great wicket.

Play 20 minutes a game off the bench, say all the right things about wanting to learn from Cronk, collect a fat pay cheque and be part of a team that has a real shot at winning the comp without any of the pressure that has piled on Pearce his entire career.

Moving to hooker would be a challenge, but Pearce is nothing if not a competitor and a hard worker — moving to hooker could even suit him a little, given he wouldn’t be required to manage matches as much as he has at halfback.

Once Cronk retires at the end of 2019, Pearce can take back over with two years away from the spotlight having learned everything the veteran halfback could teach him.

Adding Cronk and Tedesco to the current Roosters roster has them outright premiership favourites. If Pearce has the chance to be a part of that he has to consider it.

I’m confident Cronk will be a success, but there’s a chance everything falls down for him. He’ll be 34 by the time next season kicks off and while he’s the most professional player in the league in terms of his preparation and lifestyle, Father Time remains undefeated.

If Cronk was to succumb to either injury or age, which is not out of the question, Pearce could then slide in without an issue.

Will Pearce walk away from the only club he’s ever known.

In terms of representative honours, if Pearce can show a little bit of versatility he could even snag a spot on the Blues bench. Hell, given the insanity of some of the Blues selections over the years he’ll probably start at hooker.

Pearce would have to give up a lot if he wants to remain a one-club man, but he could get it all back in the long term.

WHY HE SHOULD GO

The narrative the Roosters have been pushing regarding Pearce is a little puzzling. It’s all well and good to say he can stay and learn under Cronk for two seasons but he’s not some 22-year-old who’s played 50 games and still has a heap of teething problems.

Pearce is 28 years of age, he’ll be 30 by the time the 2020 season kicks off. After 238 first grade games, it is difficult to see him becoming a whole lot more than the player he is right now. There’s a reason they say old dogs can’t learn new tricks. Pearce is a better halfback than many people give him credit for.

It’s impossible to presume Pearce’s mindset but it’s not difficult to imagine how he’s feeling. Throughout all the Origin failures that have overshadowed his decade at Bondi, he always had the Roosters.

No matter what happened for NSW, he could always go back to the Roosters with the confidence that he was theirs and they were his. He might not have been good enough to get the Blues over the line but he was good enough for the Roosters and given the public whipping he’s endured following every series loss that must have been a great comfort.

The Roosters have chosen Cronk over Pearce.

Now, all that might feel a little hollow. The Roosters are not only willing to demote their halfback and former captain to the bench but they’re also replacing him with the architect of his Origin destruction.

Cronk has stolen Pearce’s Origin dreams and now he’s taken his house as well. Pearce is fully entitled to be furious with the Roosters.

And if he wants, there are options out there. A move to Manly seems like a pretty good fit.

Pearce has always played his best club football as a complementary half — when he can work with a dominant playmaker like Todd Carney in 2010 or James Maloney in 2013-15, it frees him of the responsibility of being a chief organiser and eases the pressure.

Setting up shop with the Sea Eagles, who already have an established playmaker in Daly Cherry-Evans and will have their focus set on a top-four finish, will allow Pearce a change of scenery and could rejuvenate his whole career. Plus, playing with Tom Trbojevic and Apisai Koroisau, who are both chances of playing Origin next season, will do his chances of playing for the Blues again no harm at all.

While Pearce may have the skill set to switch to hooker, such a move is not a guaranteed success. He’s played all but three matches of his NRL career at halfback and moving from star of the show to bit-part player would be difficult for anyone to accept.