Cooper Cronk could quit Melbourne Storm at the end of this season to live with Tara Rushton
WHAT’S THE BUZZ: Cooper Cronk is considering retirement at the end of this season, to move to Sydney with his new fiance Fox Sports’ Tara Rushton.
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CHAMPION half Cooper Cronk is seriously considering retirement from rugby league at the end of this season, 12 months before his contract expires at Melbourne Storm.
The 33-year-old playmaker wants to move to Sydney after recently becoming engaged to his partner, Fox Sports’ Tara Rushton.
They are planning to marry at the end of the football season.
Rather than continue to live apart, Cronk has told his closest confidants, including coach Craig Bellamy, that he wants to quit after the World Cup in November.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ: SAINT, SINNER, SHOOSH
He is also extremely close to NRL boss Todd Greenberg, who is aware of what’s happening.
The two-time Dally M champion would have both Fox Sports and Channel Nine in a bidding war for his services, given his standing in the game and previous guest appearances on television that showed he’s likely to be the next big thing in NRL commentary.
Only last season, Cronk signed a new two-year, $2 million contract at the Storm that finishes in 2018. He has played 302 games for the club since 2004, 31 Tests for the Kangaroos and 19 Origins.
Storm officials are hoping Cronk may have second thoughts later in the season but, because it’s a personal issue, they won’t stand in his way to force him to honour the final year of his contract.
Cronk could quite easily have made the decision to quit the Storm last year to play out his career at St George Illawarra or at South Sydney to be closer to his fiancee.
He could have made millions but such is his loyalty to Melbourne that he was determined to remain a one-club player.
His decision to quit will throw the NRL halfback market into a frenzy. The Storm has no long-term plans for a halfback.
The big guns — Johnathan Thurston, Mitchell Pearce, Adam Reynolds, Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt — are all locked up.
However, there is a massive wrap on boom on their Holden Cup halfback Brodie Croft, who has emerged from junior rugby union ranks as one of the hottest rookies in the NYC.
Hughes’ $1.5m snub as NRL star inks mega deal
Star playmaker Jahrome Hughes has signed a monster contract extension that will send shockwaves across the NRL player market.
Done deal: Dally M star signs monster Storm extension
With quality playmakers at a premium in the NRL, Jahrome Hughes could have had his pick of clubs. But rather than chase dollars, he chose loyalty revealing why he inked a four-year extension with the Storm.