Playmaker who slipped through Titans’ fingers now dual premiership winner
HE was the pint-sized playmaker that slipped through the hands of the Titans and is now a two-time premiership player and Clive Churchill medallist.
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HE was the pint-sized playmaker that slipped through the hands of the Titans and is now a two-time premiership player and Clive Churchill medallist.
Former Burleigh Bear Luke Keary effectively played both halves positions for the Roosters as a broken Cooper Cronk took the ground well below his best to direct his troops around the field.
The pressure on Keary to perform was immense but the 26-year-old delivered, steering the Roosters to a premiership in just his second season at the club.
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His efforts won him the prestigious Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match, showing him to be one of the competition’s elite playmakers.
It’s a position few would have imagined when he ran around Pizzey Park for Burleigh in 2011, breaking into the Bears’ Queensland Cup team as a teenager.
While he trained with their under-20s during his time on the Coast, Keary was overlooked by the Titans for an NRL contract, linking with South Sydney the following year before winning a premiership with the Rabbitohs in 2014.
Keary was in everything in last night’s 21-6 win, playing on both sides of the field as Cronk was sheltered in the defensive line, shielding a broken shoulder blade from his former Melbourne teammates.
A pinpoint lofted pass to Daniel Tupou led to the Roosters’ first try and Keary’s opening half was close to perfect given the circumstances of the match.
While his one error led to a Josh Addo-Carr try that briefly looked as though it would allow Melbourne back into the game, Keary quickly made amends, slotting a field goal that put the match out of Melbourne’s reach.
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Roosters co-captain Jake Friend praised Keary’s efforts under immense pressure.
“He had his head on from the start of the week,” Friend said.
“He knew it was a big game for him and when he does get his head on, he is an angry little man.
“I was excited for what he would do and he didn’t disappoint.”
Keary was humble when receiving his medal, saying he shared the honour with his teammates.
“Everyone has got a bit of this medal. All 30 of us, all the support staff, I can’t thank you enough,” he said.
Cronk hinted early in the week he would line up even if well below fully fit and played his role to perfection.
While he did not make a single run, Cronk was the most effective, ineffective player in history.
Roosters captain Boyd Cordner revealed Cronk had a broken scapula, meaning painkilling injections would have made little difference to the level of pain he played with.
And while he did his best to stay out of the defensive line, he still made eight tackles, including one on giant Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona in which he led with his injured shoulder to ensure no try was conceded.
“Just through him being there, him at 30 per cent we want him on the field,” Cordner said.
“It will come out later but he actually broke his scapula.
“It’s a big performance by Cooper, that will go down in history.”
Cronk said he did not know whether he would be able to play but took his responsibility to get on the field seriously.
“Everyone at this Football Club has sacrificed something for me to be here and it was my duty to do whatever I could do to repay that faith,” Cronk said.
“From the top down, everyone in this organisation sacrificed something for me to be here. I don’t take that responsibility lightly, that was the motivation.”
And Cronk also paid tribute to Keary.
“We didn’t know if I would be able to play,” Cronk said.
“It was only a last minute thing that we could get through a few things and do that. The boys trained all week without me playing and the whole idea was to use me as a decoy or because if they didn’t see me as a threat.
“Luke Keary was outstanding tonight, everything was set up for him to have the game of his life and he delivered.”
Commentator Phil Gould said the mere presence of Cronk was crucial for the Roosters.
“I cannot get over the performance of Cooper Cronk who was physically inhibited and restricted, but his mere presence on the field was such an uplift to his teammates,” Gould said. “Luke Keary is a worthy Clive Churchill Medallist and his teammates covered for Cooper Cronk but he talked them through periods and got them around the field.”
Melbourne were unable to score until the 62nd minute and that only came when Josh Addo-Carr plucked a wayward Keary pass from the air and raced 80m to cross.
It was the one slip in Keary’s otherwise flawless night and will be a further blow to any Bears fans who watched the skinny teen emerge in the Titans’ backyard but go unsigned.
Gold Coast remain on the hunt for an experienced half to help accelerate the development of Ash Taylor and coach Garth Brennan recently conceded Keary would be the type of player he would love to pair with his marquee man.
That seems a pipe dream for the Titans though, with Keary on contract until the end of 2021.
Former Keebra Park student Isaac Liu also finished with a premiership ring and played a massive part in helping the Roosters pack dominate the Storm.
The backrower finished with 11 runs for 113m and made 16 tackles in a strong game.
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