Huge Roosters boost as Crichton ‘ready to go’ for final NRL hurrah
The Roosters are hopeful of extending Angus Crichton’s NRL career a little longer after he was deemed “ready to go” to face the Sharks on Saturday.
Last week, concerns were raised he might not return at all before the end of the season when he was a late scratching ahead of the Roosters’ loss to the Panthers.
Angus Crichton is returning for the first time in almost three months. Getty
But that doubt was cast aside on Tuesday when Trent Robinson named the rugby-bound star on the bench.
Crichton had been sidelined since he suffered a foot injury in round 15, which required surgery and extensive rehabilitation.
He was widely expected to return last week, but “he wasn’t ready to go last week, simply put,” Robinson said on Friday.
“That was the truth of it. He still had some issues last week, but he hasn’t had them this week, so he’s ready to go.”
Robinson added was not overly concerned by the issues, nor does the thought of them worry him about putting Crichton into the heat of an elimination battle.
“I don’t think the standard of the game changes when it comes to Angus,” he said.
“I just think it’s the time out with the injury and managing the minutes he’ll get on the field. That’s the only thing, but he’s played enough of these quality games to be ready to go back in.”
Crichton was not the only Rooster vying to be fit in time for the finals series, with Sam Walker hunting a miraculous return from a syndesmosis injury.
The star playmaker underwent surgery for the injury shortly after the Roosters’ round 26 clash against the Dolphins, with many expecting his season to be over.
But Robinson has made clear Walker has made a remarkable recovery from the injury and is already back training.
Sam Walker went down injured in the Roosters’ loss to the Dolphins. Getty Images
While he is not part of the 18-man squad for the elimination final against the Sharks, Robinson said Walker is “a chance” to play next week if the side qualifies.
“Another good progression this week, keep going,” Robinson said of Walker.
“There’s a little bit less weight on that ankle compared to other guys in our game, so he’s progressing well. Most of those guys end up doing straight-line running and all of that, whereas he’s back into some free movement and into some training, so that’s a real positive.”
Robinson kept his lips sealed when asked about the short turnarounds the Roosters will face if they are to make the preliminary finals, having had six days to prepare to face the Sharks and six days to prepare for that final if they qualify.
But he did make clear that his playing group will do “whatever it takes to play in the finals” and will openly accept “the (scheduling) cards we’ve been dealt”.
The 49-year-old went on to note that his team have taken on the learnings from their loss to Penrith last week and “moved on quickly” to focus on the Sharks.
And while the noise around the match has been around the return of the Roosters’ injured stars, the Sharks also have one key figure carrying a nasty concern.
Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler urged all remaining teams in the finals series to exploit the weakness of injured stars like Braydon Trindall, who was inconvenienced by his shoulder when facing the Cowboys last week.
While Cronulla have worked to play down any major worry with Trindall’s shoulder, Robinson admitted his players will be “targeting certain players” to claim victory.
“Look, I think in these games you’ve got to know where to get to and what to look at in the opposition, but we want to play our game really well,” Robinson said.
“You have to acknowledge if there are any opportunities, but we want to honour the way that we play at the same time. So it’ll be a mix of both.”
The Roosters will host the Sharks at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
