Don’t be surprised if the option most people seem to think Cooper Cronk is least likely to take becomes the one he does take at the end of the season: retirement.
Many players are dead scared of the word because they are not sure what comes after it, but that won’t be a problem for Cronk when he does give playing away.
As great a player as he has become, he doesn’t need that to define him as a person. He’s not your everyday rugby league player – far from it.
He loves the game, of course, but he is interested in many other aspects of life as well.
When he does finish playing, whether it’s at the end of this year or a couple of years later, he clearly has a future as an analyst for Fox Sports if that’s what he wants to do. It obviously wouldn’t be a surprise if he began his post-playing career that way.
There is every chance he could make a great coach as well, such is the level of his knowledge and the way in which he is able to get his point across when he talks about the game.
But there is a lot more that a very impressive person with great integrity and a fabulous work ethic like him is capable of doing career-wise, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised what life held in store for Cronk over the next decade.
[latest_videos_strip category=”rugby-league” name=”League”]
He could end up being prominent in a sphere of life that no-one thought he would enter.
Cronk has made the decision to leave Melbourne and come to Sydney for love, which is a beautiful story in itself.
Obviously he will have no trouble attracting big-money offers from Sydney clubs and signing a contract for a couple of years, if that’s what he wants to do.
But he has stressed the point that he is undecided about whether to play on next season, and rather than being cynical and treating that as a throwaway line we should take him at his word.
Cronk doesn’t have to go for another year or two to put the icing on his career. The icing is already there.
This is a World Cup year, which would potentially give him a glorious opportunity to depart on the biggest stage at the international level.
The Storm are in great early-season form and are competition favourites, and Queensland have two home games in this year’s State of Origin series.
It could turn out to be a stellar year for him.
Cronk turns 34 on December 5, three days after the scheduled date of the World Cup final. He is certainly not too old to pump out another couple of years of great football, not these days.
Advances in technology and sports science are making it more and more common for players to last into their mid-30s and Cronk clearly looks after himself.
But 34 would also be old enough for him to be comfortable with a decision to retire if that’s what he wants to do. He has already done everything he needs to do in the game. He has nothing left to prove.
Already, there is intense discussion about where Cronk might end up if he does continue playing, with clubs like Canterbury and Wests Tigers among those most mentioned.
Personally, I think he could do great things as a senior player in a young team at Penrith.
Coincidentally, Cronk’s announcement came on the same day the Panthers announced their captain, Matt Moylan, and two teammates would be stood down from this weekend’s NRL game and forced to play NSW Cup after they breached team protocol by having a late night out after a game.
A bit of Cronk professionalism rubbing off wouldn’t go astray there.
But whatever Cronk does, whether it’s playing, not playing, and in whatever field, he’s going to stand out, because that’s the sort of person he is; a man of action.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Who is this team and what have they done with the Dolphins? With Wayne Bennett consigned to his sick bed back in Redcliffe, the…
The ball kept falling off the tee for Gutho's penalty kick and the fans were giving him heaps.
The Dolphins were playing with fire on their own line as Kodi Nikorima went for a reckless offload.
In conditions described as "stifling" in Darwin, the Eels and Dolphins played out a lacklustre first half with Parramatta leading 8-4 at the break.…
Jack Bostock stayed down after Clint Gutherson's attempted tackle and the Eels' skipper gave him plenty of lip about it.
This effort just about summed up the Dragons' defence against the Warriors. They held their opponents to their equal-lowest score this season in a…
