Greater Western Sydney have reportedly signed NRL star Cooper Cronk as a leadership consultant for the 2020 AFL season.
Cronk will hope to add his Midas touch to Greater Western Sydney after reportedly being recruited to the AFL club’s coaching staff.
News Corp Australia on Wednesday said Cronk had joined the GWS as a leadership consultant after drawing the curtain on his 16-season NRL career that featured four titles – including the last three premierships – from a staggering nine grand finals.
The Giants reached out to Cronk as they looked to rebound from a stellar 2019 AFL season that ended with a devastating 89-point grand final loss to Richmond.
Cronk, 35, looks set to be kept busy in his retirement after already announcing he had signed on as a part-time specialist halves coach with his former NRL club Sydney Roosters.
Giants board member Jimmy Bartel last month confirmed their interest in luring the ex-Test and Queensland playmaker to their coaching staff for 2020 in the hope his professional approach would rub off on their players and club culture.
“It’s his leadership, it’s his experience, just everything he brings to the table. Of course we’d love to get him involved,” Bartel told Macquarie Sports Radio in October.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Cronk follows the lead of former Melbourne teammate Billy Slater who has been juggling roles at the Storm and AFL outfit St Kilda since his NRL retirement.
Former Test fullback Slater joined the Saints’ leadership and development programs in a newly-created role in late 2018 after pulling the pin on his stellar 323-game NRL career last year.
“I am looking forward to working with the Giants and the team,” Cronk told News Corp Australia.
“During my career I was able to learn many aspects to leadership and performance which I hope to convey to assist the club in achieving its goals.”
Giants coach Leon Cameron said Cronk’s resume spoke for itself.
“The majority of the reason for the appointment is because of his high performance,” he said.
“No doubt his experiences are part of it but a lot of it is just how rounded he is as a person and how he just oozes high performance.
“If that rubs off on an 18-year-old guy that we draft this year or a 33-year-old Heath Shaw that’s been in the system for a long time, it’s only going to be a good thing.”
Cronk is set to start his Giants stint later this month.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Munro Mike sorry my jumping the horse.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Crosscoder I wasn't having a go at you at all. The 'looking outside the square' was in no way a dig at you or your comments.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Munro Mike Here’s the story re Cronk and the Roosters. https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/10/31/cronk-joins-roosters-coach-staff-to-help-halves/
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Munro Mike Yes he sure is ,he is involved with the Roosters halves ,which includes Flannagan's son.And he will be involved I'd suggest on NRL on Fox. Where the hell did I suggest it's wrong to look outside the square? Rugby league players have tried out for AFL, boxing, NFL,ru. Like people in business you follow the money and opportunities. Seriously mate I have stated on more than one occasion on this site,Cronk is one NRL player I admire greatly.Can;t be any clearer than that. Cronk is also interested in coaching down the line, and commentating on rugby league.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Cronk is going to juggle coaching with the Roosters and the Giants isn't he? Cronk - remember - went to Arizona on a two week pre-season altitude training camp with the Brisbane Lions. He was willing to 'look outside the square' of Rugby League. His early season 2013 form was exceptional and Craig Bellamy did credit him and that trip. Suggesting he was the most dedicated person he'd seen.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Many people feel that the Giants were really dropped in by the AFL no matter what - and maybe that was going to be the case. Listen to former Test Cricket Gavin Robertson (sadly suffering life threatening illness - brain cancer) who came on board as the GWS community liaison officer. He was given a brief to get 100 $10,000 sponsors signed up before the AFL would consider granting a license. He got over 90, I think it might have been 91 or something like that. And he thought he'd failed. When the AFL turned up there were ecstatic - they'd've settled for 50!! He'd exceeded expectations. You can listen to a longish interview here. Listen from about 31 minutes on for his discussion turning to the GWS Giants (a big wrap for the role of Craig Lambert and his wife for helping built a 'family'). There is more to the GWS Giants than meets the eye.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
International competition can be over rated. Many an Olympian barely gets by. As far as a 'contest' - NSW v Vic in the Sheffield Shield puts many a test match to shame. I do agree that MOST of the AFL is insular. It does annoy me. There's an Australian and often Victorian centricity - with the blinkers on. I love stories like Slava Belov, the Russian who founded the St Petersburg Cats and is a passionate footy player representing Russia in international competition (yep....its amateur but the Olympics....were....for a long time!!). For a Russian it was sufficient to visit Australia in 2012 but ironically didn't first play until he moved to London to study. This is indicative of the new 'connected' world where a Russian in London can find a 'footy' team and join in and then return home the next year and establish a team/club of his own. This sort of story encourages me - - that we DON'T have to rely on the AFL HQ or Melbourne's insular AFL community to wake up. The game is taking on a life of its own. Granted the AFL do assist a little bit - AFL Europe gets a bit of help but never enough.
Gee
Roar Rookie
You would think after that pathetic performance in the GF that GWS already have enough people on their coaching staff who no nothing about football. Another good example why one of these new pretend clubs should make way for a Tasmanian team.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Glad to be able to offer your something to laugh at buddy... yeah it is a bit odd I suppose to be optimistic isn’t it? ... given that a team has actually been established, and is on the path to viability... oddly people like you shoot down the Giants then in next breath will advocate the NRL’s expansion to places like Perth..
GoGWS
Roar Guru
No worries... yes mate they make it all up. There there.. don’t worry about it.
Sydneysider
Guest
The levels of optimism from GWS fans on here is hilarious. The least cared about sporting team in Sydney by a mile. I see this as another marketing ploy to try and generate interest for GWS in Sydney. Being based at Homebush won't help them. Wanderers back at Parramatta, Macarthur FC coming in next season and actually having local community support. Parra Eels going strongly off the field with expanded Parra Leagues club and huge car park next to Bankwest Stadium. GWS will still be the club for Canberra and other people in Sydney who don't support the Swans. Going to continue to need the $30 million per year from AFL headquarters for the next 50 years to continue to exist.
clipper
Roar Rookie
It's funny then Randy, that Melbourne Victory is the most attended A league team and they've just added a third. The difference is Sydney is an all code city and AFL is dominant in Melbourne.
Randy
Roar Rookie
The Swans also exist in a city that supports and participates in many different sports and has for decades. The Storm exist in an insular city that puts all its eggs in 1 basket for teams sports (AFL) and pretends other sports don't exist.
clipper
Roar Rookie
you have to remember that GWS membership is split between Canberra and Homebush, so that percentage of attending members would better, although I don't know what the split is. Also, the Storm attendance is boosted by a 'home' game that was in Brisbane.
Maximus Insight
Guest
That's a pretty convenient yet twisted comparison! The Swans get over half of the NRL average in Sydney...the Storm get under half of what the AFL average in Melbourne......nah lets instead reference the Storm's Melbourne crowds against the Sydney NRL crowds and compare that to where the Swans sit in the AFL pecking order? The Storm get good crowds by NRL standards but play in a city that gets massive crowds to live sport. The Swans get ok crowds by AFL standards but play in a city where they are the only sporting club getting decent crowds
Maximus Insight
Guest
Looks like I was expecting to much of you too get my pun
Randy
Roar Rookie
The Giants membership numbers are laughable. They must be the only club in the country who's attendances is barely half of their membership number. For a comparison the Storm have 25k members in 2019 and their attendance was 18k. Meanwhile the Giants attendance was 12k, yet they claim to have over 30k members? AFL spin machine at it again...
Randy
Roar Rookie
why would people in Melbourne care about the Roosters?
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Mama.Now another alias you have used on the Roar.I t doesn't make your comments anymore factual,laughable in fact. I don't hate anyone or any code, just stupid ill informed comments from people who come on to rl threads to deride the code.It's blatant ,immature and shows signs of insecurity. There are a couple of people who do jus that yourself, Clip and have been doing so for ages. Should I feel the need to go onto AFL threads to carry on like you guys do here, then I have a problem.Check your own backyards.Mama,is the same guy who writes to print media to show his disataste for rugby league.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Don’t look now but AFL is actually getting a foothold... junior club numbers already growing significantly, and Giants club membership is already higher than NRL clubs in the region and on track to be higher than any NRL club in NSW. And Giants have a women’s team unlike any NRL club in the region. I’d say that’s a not a bad start... TV audiences will improve... Rome wasn’t built in a day... Giants are doing just fine and are well on track to being a significant club in the region.