Cooper Cronk is rugby league’s most influential player. And this was never more evident in than Queensland’s Game 3 State of Origin victory last week.
After playing close to 10 minutes in Game 1, Cronk injured his arm, preventing him from taking part in the rest of the match and the entirety of Game 2 – both of which were tightly fought win by NSW.
Confirming Cronk’s widely-known tendency for being a quick healer, the Maroons’ halfback made a remarkable comeback for Game 3, playing a key role in the Maroons’ 24-point victory.
Overall, it made for interesting reading.
Queensland lost the series by losing the two games Cronk didn’t play, but then avoided a clean-sweep by winning the one game he did.
Queensland also score only one try in the 150 minutes that Cronk wasn’t there, but then scored six tries in the 90 minutes that he was. And, NSW scored 26 points for the entire series, whereas Queensland – with Cronk back in the side – scored 32 points in a single game.
For NSW fans especially, this is a spectacular coincidence at best. But, really, it isn’t, especially when we look at Cronk’s record since his 2004 debut.
I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating here. Cronk’s record in the biggest games and the biggest moments is almost unparalleled.
In the past four years, Cronk has outpointed Jonathan Thurston in Dally M voting. Unlike Thurston, though, Cronk also had the ever-present threat of current Australian captain Cameron Smith and current Australian fullback Billy Slater stealing Dally M points off him.
In 2006, his first year starting at halfback for the Melbourne Storm, Cronk was awarded Dally M Halfback of the Year – an award he won a further three times in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In fact, in 2006, Cronk actually outpointed Andrew Johns, rugby league’s eighth Immortal.
Cronk’s been to a grand final five times. In 2012, he not only won a premiership legitimately – after all the immense controversy over Melbourne allegedly fielding an illegal side in their previous two appearances – but also won the Clive Churchill medal for best on ground. Many good judges maintain he almost single-handedly defeated the Canterbury Bulldogs, on what was the biggest day of the year.
In one of the illegal grand finals in 2009, he, again, almost single-handedly defeated Parramatta, with most credible judges deeming him incredibly unlucky not to have won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground. Interestingly, the eventual Clive Churchill winner, Billy Slater, actually agreed, openly and publicly stating that the award should have gone to Cronk.
Prior to this year, Cronk has had two opportunities at starting halfback over the course of an entire State of Origin series. In Game 3 2012, with the series level at 1-1 and finding his team tied at 20 points in the 70th minute, Cronk successfully kicked a field-goal to put the Maroons in front by one point. Queensland ultimately won the game and therefore the series.
Then, in the 60th minute of Game 3 2013, again with the series level at 1-1, it was Cronk’s try-assist to Queensland right centre Justin Hodges that turned out to be the game-changer. The Blues had been building momentum, having been only down 8-4 and needing to score once to at worst remain level, but with Cronk’s pass, they now had to score twice. It again allowed Queensland to win the match and therefore the series.
In 2013, Cronk then went on to win the Dally M medal outright, narrowly edging Thurston, as well as Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and Cronulla five-eighth Todd Carney.
This is what makes Cronk’s lack of recognition so bizarre.
Perhaps it’s because he wins games but doesn’t make highlight reels. His game is based on intelligence, strategy and accuracy, rather than raw-boned athleticism or instinctive feats of playmaking brilliance.
To the casual observer he isn’t all that spectacular to watch, he isn’t overly streamlined in his movements and his running style is more jerky than dynamic. As others have noted, he doesn’t flick pass, pull off big hits in defence, use banana kicks or possess a signature left-foot step.
He does, however, run decoy plays almost perfectly. He destabilises defences better than just about anyone and he has no peer when it comes to all-important 40/20 kicks. He also makes very few mistakes.
Most importantly, though, he makes teams win.
“While the 30-year-old rarely makes line breaks or throws dazzling cut-out passes”, journalist Chris Garry said in an article recently.
“Cronk’s ability to make those around him play better is unrivalled in rugby league.”
Absolutely.
At any rate, there are other aspects at play as well – much of which stem from Australian Rugby League’s widely-perceived insularity. In addition to being a rugby union convert, Cronk is a Queenslander playing for the Melbourne Storm in a game whose power base is heavily weighted towards all things Sydney and NSW.
There is also Cooper Cronk as a person. He is the ultimate individualist who defies many of the rugby league stereotypes. He prefers philosophy and poetry to partying and video games, he sports none of the latest hairstyles, he doesn’t seem to have any tattoos and certainly doesn’t have the customary broad Australian accent. To some, therefore, Cooper Cronk is eccentric – if not an outsider.
This is the only real explanation behind the somewhat strange campaign from some prominent sections of the rugby league media who were pushing for Daly Cherry-Evans to usurp Cronk as the new Queensland and Australian halfback.
Referring to the Anzac Test selection in April, Dean Ritchie of the Daily Telegraph said that, “you can’t help but think that if not for the fierce loyalty of national selectors, Cherry-Evans’ performance would have been enough to usurp Cronk as Australia’s starting halfback”.
The same week Paul Crawley, of the same publication, said that calls had apparently “grown louder that Cherry-Evans has now overtaken Cronk as the game’s number one halfback”.
Then, on the eve of Origin 2, with Cronk still recovering from his injured arm, there was this bemusing piece of analysis from Nick Walshaw, “Daly Cherry-Evans has been medically cleared to begin life as the Queensland No. 7 — meaning Cooper Cronk may never start an Origin or Test again”.
It was a curious sight: a Sydney-based tabloid newspaper lobbying for a Queenslander – who plays for one of the NRL’s most widely-disliked teams – to oust the most recent Dally M winner.
Noticeably, the alleged calls were replaced with resounding silence in light of State of Origin Game 3’s outcome. Perhaps it was a clumsy attempt at a wedge strategy. Who knows.
Whatever the case, these are all explanations, not justifications. And what makes Cronk’s case for rugby league’s most influential player even more convincing is this: his shortcomings are almost all of his control.
He wasn’t born with quite the same level of natural talent as players like Johnathan Thurston, Jarryd Hayne or Greg Inglis. He has had to do more with less just to match the same standards. He has had to make more of the limited opportunities afforded to him, having waited a number of years behind Darren Lockyer.
And, perhaps most striking, the gap between what he’s capable of, and what he consistently produces, is clearly the narrowest of all the elite players – and this is what really sets him apart.
So, what are we missing here? People talk about Cameron Smith being most the NRL’s most influential player. People talk about Johnathan Thurston being the most influential player. People even talk about Billy Slater being the most influential player. To varying degrees, these are all respectable arguments.
But, strangely, no-one talks about Cronk being the NRL’s most influential player, and his record is arguably better than the lot of them.
maximillian
Guest
I agree about Daley looking to change the culture of the Blues. It started with the hardline stance against Pearce & he also appears to be quite the tactician so I hope he stays on for another few years. His meticulous planning in game 1 to isolate Thurston defensively against Hayne was a masterstroke, as was his changing the game plan for Origin 2 to a hardnosed slugfest to compensate the loss of the Morris boys. Its still early days but I have been impressed so far & I am at least more optimistic of the Blues chances going forward under Daleys watch.
maximillian
Guest
Well the refs didnt see much niggle from Bird otherwise they wouldve penalised him so I guess they also think hes just "a bit niggly" :)
Jack Henry
Guest
First, you're exactly right. The Blues got up this year because they wanted it more. I'd also hope it's the beginnings of a real culture change in the NSWRL with Loz's appointment. Anyway, if we're honest here, the fact that Queensland score one try in the 150 minutes that Cronk wasn’t there, but then scored six tries in the 90 minutes that he was, surely demonstrates the "influence" argument - at worst, it's a remarkable coincidence. As for Thurston, it's a respectable argument no doubt. But in my opinion, a lot of Thurston's successes came from who Qld had around him. He isn't a player who copes well with leadership and he really comes into his own when other certain types of players can take that burden off him and allow him to shine. Not the most popular argument but I think it's true nonetheless.
eagleJack
Guest
Thurston is the only player to play every game during their 8 series reign. Cronk got involved late. They were doing fine without him. Thurston is far more important to QLD than Cronk. This year QLD just got beaten by a team more hungry for victory. Given no chance against this top QLD side with 2 games in Brisbane, they proved the doubters wrong and won the series after the first 2 games. If QLD were in a similar situation and came through victorious, all we would hear about is the "QLD spirit" beating the odds. When NSW do it, it's because of the refs..... and an injury to an opposing player.
Jack Henry
Guest
The thing about hypotheticals is that they're both fascinating and meaningless...so with that in mind...I would cautiously say that Qld's performance loses less with Thurston off the field than it does with Cronk. Plus, there's the uncomfortable fact for many Thurston supporters that he's been the central playmaker at the NRL's most consistently underachieving team, for quite a while now. The Cowboys roster hasn't over the years been dissimilar to those of other teams who've generally performed better - and more consistently so. thurston is individually brilliant, but he needs certain types of players around him to shine: like Lockyer, Smith and Cronk.
pat malone
Guest
cant split Smith and Cronk myself. i guess we do not know how much QLD will miss Thurston until he actually misses a game
pat malone
Guest
your anti NSW bias is very tiring.
Jack Henry
Guest
I don’t think that’s quite the right way to look at it. If you follow Melbourne at all, you’ll no doubt agree that over half the games they’ve won this year they really should have lost. And in the majority of those games, it’s been Cronk and sometimes Smith who - by themselves - have had to put Melbourne into a winning position. Honestly, some of the muppets they have on the interchange forward rotation, and the muppets they have also as wingers, it’s amazing Melbourne aren’t getting the wooden spoon. The perils of having the bulk of your salary cap tied up with 3 players. Some amazingly bad defensive reads and half-efforts from a few blokes who are supposed to be first-graders. I’m amazed Bellamy hasn’t torn his own teeth out. As for DCE, it’s not an overly insightful comparison…in fairness to him. We need to compare how DCE’s gone by age 30 - or how Cronk was going at age 25 - to truly reflect any differences.
Jack Henry
Guest
I’m one of those people who secretly has no idea why Cameron Smith gets the wraps he does, but is too afraid to speak up given that a lot of good judges rate him highly…so I just smile, wave and nod my head in agreement. So…in response to your comment…I’ll just smile, wave and nod my head in agreement! I know he gets the wraps for controlling the opposition’s middle-third defensive structure; for getting his teammates onto the ball really well; for helping isolate small defenders (hookers) with big forwards and for crisp service to his playmakers…but, honestly, I reckon a whole bunch of other rakes do the job just as well. Maybe it’s his composure under pressure or something. And I don’t see him having that great a running game – for mine, Isaac Luke is the best in the business for that. But fair enough, a lot of good judges agree with you.
Renegade
Guest
Look at the backline that Manly have and then look at Melbourne mate.... Ben Roberts is Cronk's partner. The difference in the QLD performance in origin was a key indicator. DCE will eventually take over the mantle as the game's best half but his not there yet.
NSWelshman
Guest
Once again............If he's that good why are Melbourne not leading the comp? Saying he is the best half back 'without a doubt' is a little rich mate! There really is not much between Cronk & DCE.............both great players!
NSWelshman
Guest
If Cronk is that great, why are Melbourne not leading the comp? The article clearly states that 'Cronk makes teams win'......... Apart from that I agree he is great half back!
AZ_RBB
Guest
"Cronks a class player and a good person that deserves all the success and accolade" I was sold on him when recently every second person in the NRL was ripping into the referees at every opportunity, Cronk calmly said that he had nothing but respect for referees as they do a job that he could never do. Need more of that attitude in professional sport.
Renegade
Guest
Good article mate. Cronk is without doubt the best halfback in the game but whether is the best player is very debateable... I think his skipper might still have claims to that one.
Jack Henry
Guest
Agreed – a champion bloke and a deadest genius. He out Queenslanded Queensland: NSW was always going to be up against it skill-wise, and he was able to win through superior drive, hunger and commitment. The Maroons didn’t see that coming I think. Loz is a great first step in the beginnings of a culture change in NSWRL, that hopefully will become more pronounced as the old guard start to move on. We want to be known for our ability and belief...not for being weak and resorting to niggle tactics because we can't beat Qld football-wise. Again, hopefully the beginning of a culture-change... Might even see a return to the glory days of Johns, Fittler, Harragon and Clyde!
Jack Henry
Guest
Thanks a bunch for the kind words, Voice, much appreciated. I stand corrected on the League/Union thing - I thought I read somewhere it was the other way around. There seems to be a culture war going on for Rugby League's "soul" at the moment, between traditionalists and progressives, for lack of better terms. Cooper Cronk is a key element in that war I reckon. And, hey, who doesn't love breakfast food for every meal? (!)
Jack Henry
Guest
Agreed on both counts. In ym opinion, Slater's probably the best choice as Australian fullback, but he's certainly not my kind of fullback. I like the ball-playing athletes, like Lockyer, Hayne, Inglis and Boyd. But Slater just rubs me the wrong way generally - he has that record of his, yes, but in addition he comes across as a real try-hard and, dare I say it, a tad disingenuous. Just my opinion, I'm sure others are better placed to comment on that. My biggest wrap on Cronk, though, is how's much work he's put into himself as a person. He doesn't need me to pump up his tyres, but I think this is truly admirable, for what it's worth. You're deadset right: he deserves all the success and accolades he gets.
maximillian
Guest
well what about game 1 then? If we didnt win that game we still wouldnt have won the series. You seem to completely gloss over the herculean effort in the 1st game & instead focus on the "we was robbed" vernacular in the second game? I agree with Eye, Daley deserves credit for NSW victory.
Gappy
Guest
Everyone thinks because they are great players they should be immortals but there are a lot of better players in front they need to prove themself outside a team of superstars. Lockyer is the only immortal to come out of the Qld team. Smith was giving this team and won on the back of Cronk, Smith is a great player but not an immortal
Paul
Roar Rookie
Wrestling techniques is the tip of the iceberg V.O.R. I can think off the top of my head chicken wings, crusher tackles all that nasty stuff designed to put a player out of action if not for the game then longer. I guess we can do this " he did that" thing all night, whilst I can concede NSW have pushed the boundaries on occasions, you can't say the same about any QLD player. Yes QLd were dominate in game 3 but I don't believe that was the most dominate performance of their 8 years of dominating state of origin as, by your reasoning, warranting the most lopsided penalty count in the last 9 years. Cherry- Evans is part of your next gen of grubs crew too, if you watched the Tigers V Manly game you will know what I'm on about.