With a World Cup in France on the horizon, Rugby Australia are ready to turn to their greatest secret weapon – the National Rugby League.
Reports in recent weeks have suggested the Wallabies are set to throw the bank at Sydney Roosters superstar Angus Crichton to get him back to the XV-man game.
‘Bring him home’ they yelled – puffing from their smoking pipes atop their North Shore balconies.
According to Wallabies legend Tim Horan, it was now or never.
“If Rugby Australia and (coach) David Rennie haven’t had a chat to Angus already, they should,” Horan told The Sydney Morning Herald on June 25.
“He is killing it in rugby league and the next six months are important in terms of gauging his interest. If he comes back, he has to come back for the right reasons, which is to play for the Wallabies in a World Cup.”
Why else would he switch codes, Mr. Horan?
It is true that Crichton dabbled in the dark arts of rucks, mauls and penalty goals for a minute or two back in the day.
While attending Scots College, Crichton was selected for both NSW Schools First XV and the Australian Schoolboys. All well and good except for the fact that at the very same time, he was also playing junior representative rugby league.
As a boy growing up in the Riverina, Crichton cut his teeth with the Young Cherrypickers – one of the great country league clubs.
That’s right – Angus Crichton is and always will be a ‘leaguie’.
As rugby league as a Tommy Raudonikis squirrel grip or a Lang Park XXXX shower.
But if the Wallabies want to borrow our Angus for a few weeks – absolutely, go nuts!
The big Tricolours second-rower is off contract at the end of next season and, despite Horan’s claims, there would be plenty of time for Crichton to reacquaint himself with his second love.
But there could be more to this than meets the eye.
Crichton’s sojourn to France could be Peter ‘The Mad Scientist’ V’landys’ greatest move yet.
Could Angus in fact be an undercover agent sent by Lord PVL, himself?
Parachuted directly into Wallabies camp on a risky mission to take down Les Bleus and the frog-eating ancestors that destroyed the mighty game of rugby league back in the 1940’s alongside “Zee Germans”?
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Sacre bleu!
To be fair, however, PVL couldn’t even get his Kangaroos into England.
He’d have little idea how to get a Wallaby into Paris.
We digress, as Rugby Australia could do far worse than slide a good old country boy like Crichton into their squad.
By the time the the World Cup comes around in 2023, Rugby League World Cup 2021 may have been postponed again. There might be a few extra NRL stars ready to hop codes and help out the Wallabies in bringing back a trophy they haven’t won since 1999.
Throw in a madman like Canterbury’s Jack Hetherington.
He’s bat-**** crazy but any national side with ‘Cadbury’ slapped across the front of its jersey needs a little intimidation.
The world’s fastest man… Josh Addo-Carr?
Kalyn Ponga?
Would he settle for dreaming of getting smashed by the All Blacks, instead?
But in the fair dinkum department, Angus Crichton would have already represented the Kangaroos at some point in the last few years if the NRL was serious about the international product.
COVID-19 is a fair and reasonable excuse until you see what the rest of the world is doing in the sporting arena.
You can’t knock Crichton for wanting to don an Australian jumper, in any code, at a World Cup.
Good on him.
Bernie Vinson
Guest
Crichton was a good Rugby back but now hes a take it up forward - he would have to get leaner and he plays for Roosters so undoubtedly there will be money found somewhere under the sombrero to keep him in because the NRL needs a strong Roosters to fend off the Swans
J Jones
Roar Rookie
Don’t know what all the fuss is about, can’t see him lighting it up in Union.
KenW
Roar Rookie
— COMMENT DELETED —
The Alchemist
Guest
Take a look at social media. The stereotypical RL fan hates every other football code. They blame other sports, the media, the Government etc for why it can't grow and continuously gets left behind. They don't believe it's the sport itself that holds it back. Open your eyes Randy there are examples everywhere
Rolando
Roar Rookie
Interesting. What position would he play? He’s very light to be a forward in Union. The only position I can think he’d be good at at his weight is loose side breakaway (flanker) but Aus RU already has depth there. Where in the backs? I suppose inside centre if he can play a strong play making role and has a kicking game but he’s not fast enough to play outside centre. Doesn’t make sense to me. He’d need two years prep to relearn a lot of thing and learn a whole lot of new things as RU has progressed a lot in last decade. Usually it’s backs, especially wingers, that can transfer between codes as their roles are a lot simpler and similar, and similar set required.
Randy
Roar Rookie
uh huh... do you have an examples of this?
Charlie Turner
Guest
Crichton would be most suited to 12 in rugby.
mushi
Roar Guru
especially when it's you lying
mushi
Roar Guru
it's not 2019 and the link isn't gospel
mushi
Roar Guru
Picket it's only estimates based on news reports and it's outdated. Says so on the site.
mushi
Roar Guru
One - that's not proof it's all estimates based on reports and can not be viewed as accurate. The site even says that. No NRL contract is actually that cut and dried anyway. Two - that was two seasons back. there's even reports on the rabbit warren from last year that he'd have to reduce his contract to stay at the roosters. Three - His salary is listed (again based on the unverified reports that pass for proof in the world of Rugby league) as 720k through next year. This was also covered at length as he took the shoorter contract to line up with Friend's probable departure and Cordner restructuring
The Alchemist
Guest
I'm not a Rugby person. I just get amused the amount of times the RL community mention other sports to try bring them down. All other sports get along but RL the only sport that can't grow has a big chip on its shoulder Randy. Why is this?
Joe
Roar Rookie
Didnt Tepai Moeroa just walk out early on an extremely lucrative Union contract just a few months back. Crighton looks a better prospect but still very risky.
Shed
Roar Rookie
This is the key point. What is a he actually worth paying per year..? He is a #12 in the union game, does not have the pace (off the mark or top-end) to play any wider. And then the question becomes, is he better than Kerevi? Is he better than Paisami? Is he better than Toomua? These being the current 3 players at the top of the list for the gold #12 jersey without looking at the young talent coming through like Bayley Kuenzle & Joey Walton, as well as other established players starting to come back on the radar like Kyle Godwin & Izaia Perese. I would love to see Chrichton come to 'professional' rugby but I am not convinced he will be worth $$$ to drag him across.
Nat
Roar Guru
I think the joke is on me with Boyd, Bird and Milford are on there! :crying:
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
I am shocked too, Teddy is probably on that now, but when you look at that list there’s a lot of inequities, Ben Hunt $1.2m, Jack Bird $1m, Shaun Johnson, Milf, Ash Taylor all on $1m….crazy
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Ok Big Mig and Nat If that link is correct (and not estimates only) then I stand corrected. Apologies to you both. I'm flabbergasted - I thought Teddy on $1m and Keary on $930 would have been our 2 highest.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
G'day Zac. I see the attraction, there's not much difference in skill set between many league edge forwards and centres (in either league or rugby). But then they still need 1-2 solid years of Super Rugby in a good system to find their rhythm, at SR pay rates, and that's just not viable for an established star like Crichton. The scouting needs to happen at the rookie level, when they're younger and cheaper. Tim Horan seems like a nice guy, but he doesn't seem to think these comments through.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
He's on $1m 2019 - see link above
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Pickett Here you go Crichton on $1m 2019 https://thesportingbase.com/nrl/nrl-rich-list-who-are-the-highest-paid-players-in-the-nrl/