He may already own four NRL premiership rings, but Cooper Cronk insists he won’t be weighed down by the pressure of chasing a fifth at his new club.
The Sydney Roosters have bolted to premiership favouritism next season after luring Cronk to join James Tedesco as blue-chip recruits in a new-look spine for 2018.
Cronk’s signing has also placed darkening clouds over the future of long-time halfback Mitchell Pearce, placing immediate heat on the Kangaroos and Queensland star to deliver a trophy.
In typical Cronk fashion, the former Melbourne veteran said he is immune to the pressure.
“There’s no pressure because you can’t touch it, you can’t feel it, and you can’t see it,” Cronk said in camp with the Kangaroos in Canberra.
“The pressure will be out making sure we compete, making sure we train at an intensity, and making sure that we’ve got a desire to beat the opposition in every game we play.
“If you’ve got that and everyone’s running the same direction with a high set of skills, anything’s possible. There’s no ceiling on what we can do.”
The 33-year-old will face a steady stream of hurdles to overcome in his new digs, including being out of the comfort of a Storm dynasty he helped create since his debut in 2006.
He has never played club football without Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and coach Craig Bellamy.
“That’s an opinion and a question that needs to be answered. I can’t answer that now, but I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I honestly have been so blessed to have the career I’ve had at Melbourne Storm. I’ve spent more time on the back page of the paper in the last week than I have in the 14 years prior to it.
“That’s going to be one challenge, playing under a different coach and different players is another set of circumstances that’s going to add a challenge.”
Cronk said he welcomed the weight of expectation.
“But throughout my career I prefer to be tested. I prefer to be mentally under pressure and physically under pressure, to see how I handle it,” he said.
“That doesn’t guarantee me success but I tell you what, I’m not going to walk away from it.
“I’ll roll my sleeves up, I’ll do the hard work, I’ll put the team first and hopefully off the back of that there’ll be some good performances.”
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