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Hard to tackle’: Roosters forward Angus Crichton ‘definitely’ ready for Origin comeback
Roosters captain James Tedesco believes that Sydney teammate Angus Crichton is “definitely” ready for a return to State of Origin following Friday evening’s “outstanding” performance against the Broncos in Brisbane.
Crichton, who has represented New South Wales on 11 occasions, continued his “purple patch” with a classy double during the 40-18 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
The 28-year-old, who is off-contract at the end of the season, played under new Blues coach Michael Maguire during his time at the Rabbitohs, with Tedesco singing the second-rower’s praises after Friday’s win.
“Definitely, the way he’s been playing,” Tedesco told reporters when asked about Crichton’s Origin chances during the post-match press conference.
“I haven’t been watching many other back rowers, but the way he’s been playing, he’s definitely been one of our best.”
Crichton began the 2024 season out of the starting side, only joining the bench in Round 3. A few weeks later, he clocked 187 run metres during a two-point victory over the Knights in Round 6 and has been in career-best form since.
“He’s been one of our best for a couple of weeks, so he’s definitely found some consistency,” Tedesco continued.
“He’s just hard to tackle. He’s proved that the last couple of weeks, just running hard.
“He came in and had a really good pre-season. He didn’t start Round 1, so he’s worked his way back into the starting team and just been one of our best the last couple of weeks.
“I know he’s going to keep working hard. It’s really good to see him playing some good footy at the moment.”
Crichton has not played State of Origin football since his admission into a French mental facility in late 2022 following a manic episode. Should he earn an Origin call-up later this month, it would prove a defining moment in his comeback from mental health struggles.
“I love testing myself and I love playing in the biggest games,” Crichton said, as reported by AAP.
“Madge is really good, personable guy and straight up and tells you how it is.
“I’ve got a great relationship with him.”
Meanwhile, Crichton is yet to decide whether he wants to follow teammates Joseph Suaalii and Joseph Manu and make a switch to rugby union at the end of the year.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson also praised Crichton after the Broncos clash, celebrating his partnership with five-eighth Luke Keary.
“He’s in a purple patch, that’s for sure,” Robinson told reporters.
“He’s worked really hard. He’s really strong and powerful, as you can see.
“I feel like him and Kez have got a really clear understanding of how they want to play together.
“It was outstanding tonight.”
The Roosters, currently fifth on the NRL ladder, will next face the Warriors at Allianz Stadium on Sunday, May 12th, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm AEST.
