Rabbitohs young gun Angus Crichton a target for Waratahs and Wallabies
THEY rued letting him go, now the Wallabies and Waratahs are circling rugby league’s hottest young talent in Angus Crichton. Plus Mal tells Duges he was worth it.
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THEY rued letting him go, now the Wallabies and Waratahs are circling rugby league’s hottest young talent in Angus Crichton.
Rugby union hopes to blindside NRL clubs and lure Crichton back to the 15-man game, where he was a teen prodigy.
He twice represented the Australian Schoolboys rugby team during his time at Scots College.
But Crichton switched codes after he claimed the Tahs put a five-year moratorium on him playing at the top level, restricting him from Super Rugby until he was 23.
Now 21, he has become the best young back-row prospect in the NRL since his debut last year.
Crichton has been earmarked for an Origin debut as soon as next year. The Waratahs will compete with his club Souths for his services, while the Roosters and Cronulla are also circling.
SPORT CONFIDENTIAL: Field bulks up for Dragons
WHICH Kangaroos player put his shoes in the washing bin with his clothes? Needless to say it was met with some serious sledging from teammates.
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FIVE Australian players took “chill pills” to track their core body temperature in the lead-up to their Test against Samoa in Darwin last Friday.
The highest reading recorded was 39 degrees — considered safe given the conditions.
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THE Kangaroos have been crossing paths with the old enemy, staying in the same hotel as the English cricket side in Brisbane.
WHERE’S WALLY?
FOX Sports statistician Aaron Wallace and 13 devoted rugby league fans were not about to let a broken-down minibus ruin their World Cup.
The man affectionately known as Wally had driven to Melbourne, Canberra and all the way to Perth and back when the gearbox in his minibus surrendered on the side of the road in Point Fairy, just outside Warrnambool in country Victoria.
“As I organised a hire bus for the final two days to get us back to Sydney, the rest of them, mostly Poms, went to the pub and got drunk,’’ Wally said. “It’s been a lot of fun. If only the bus was as reliable as my almighty Sydney Roosters.’’
Wally and his little tour group head to Auckland for the Tonga-England semi-final before flying to Brisbane next week for the final.
MAL TELLS DUGAN HE WAS WORTH IT
JOSH Dugan has provided a rare insight into what makes Mal Meninga such a successful representative coach.
After a decade of dominance as Maroons mentor, Meninga remains undefeated since taking charge of Australia last year.
Dugan was down on confidence after some inconsistent performances in his final few games for the Dragons. He feared he could lose his Test spot but even when he was picked, felt like he did not deserve to be there.
Dugan said as much publicly when he was selected, only for Meninga to take him aside and tell him to stop second- guessing himself.
“I said when I first came into camp I was a bit surprised about being picked,” Dugan said. “I thought a few of the other boys had better seasons than me overall.
“After I said that Mal came up to me and said ‘what’s all this crap about you saying you don’t deserve to be here? You definitely deserve to be here. I picked you because you deserve to be here.’ From then on I dropped that thought.
“That straight away gave me the confidence to be like ‘righto, he has that faith in me and confidence in me’. I love being in camps like this. This is my first World Cup.”
LISTEN! The League Central team discuss all the news ahead of this weekend’s huge World Cup semi-finals.
You can download League Central podcasts via iTunes.
MG TO HIT THE ROAD
MARK Geyer has been the voice of Western Sydney for the past eight years. But he will be stepping down from Triple M’s Grill Team breakfast show he shares with Matt Johns, Gus Worland and Emma Freedman. Instead, he will join the station’s weekend NRL coverage while still having regular spots on the Grill Team during the rugby league season.
Big @markMGgeyer - so sad to see you leave @GrillTeam full time. I’ve loved working with you so much. Kind, fun, lively, caring...and HILARIOUS. I’ll miss you! Our @NRL coverage will be next level with you at the helm in 2018. Love ya brother
— Emma Freedman (@emma_freedman) November 22, 2017