'I've still got a lot to give': Crichton's best yet to come

Angus Crichton has won a premiership with Sydney Roosters, an Origin series with NSW and was a member of last year’s World Cup winning Australian team but the star forward insists he has a lot more to achieve in the game.

Crichton will play his 150th NRL match in the Roosters' clash with Canberra at Allianz Stadium on Sunday night but the 27-year-old feels he is only just reaching his peak after being a late comer to league.

A two-times Australian Schoolboys rugby union representative, Crichton had played little more than a handful of league games before joining South Sydney in 2015 for the chance to play alongside Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess.

Coincidentally, his introduction to the NRL had been with the Roosters after playing SG Ball alongside Joey Manu, Latrell Mitchell and Connor Watson while attending Scots College.

“Looking back on it now, there are a lot of great memories and I’ve played in a lot of great teams,” Crichton told NRL.com.

“I have been fortunate enough to have a lot of great experiences with different guys and play alongside some of the greats, but I still feel like I have a lot to give and a lot to go.

“I am still sort of figuring out what my best footy looks like and I am excited to bring that in the future.”

The Young Cherrypickers junior, who started in the centres at Souths but now prefers to play in the second-row, has been a regular member of Blues squads since 2018 but was overlooked for the opening two matches of this year’s series.

However, Crichton is determined to regain his position after missing the first seven rounds of this season while he dealt with mental health issues.

“It was tough to watch and I am feeling for the boys at the minute,” he said of Wednesday night’s 32-6 loss in Origin II.

“They would all be hurting, they tried their hearts out and sometimes it just doesn’t swing your way.

“I know that I have still got a lot to offer in that arena, so I will keep working hard and hopefully I can be there next year. I am just focused right now on the Roosters and trying to get back to my best.”

Off the field, Crichton has also learned to use his profile to advance causes he hold close to his big heart, particularly around Indigenous issues.

As a boarder at Scots College, Crichton became aware that two young Indigenous boys from Arnhem Land, Delwyn and Leon Wunungmurra, were struggling to adapt to city life and took them under his wing.

After visiting the cousins in their remote Northern Territory home at the end of the 2017 season, he launched First People Project - a mentoring program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls at boarding school.

Crichton, who grew up in Temora, has also been an advocate for the NRL's State of Mind program.

“As athletes, we are in a fortunate position where people look up to us and we have an opportunity to put smiles on people’s faces or help out when people need it," he said.

“I have always felt that is something that comes quite naturally and quite easily so it’s something I try to do.

“It has always been a big part of my life, giving back and trying to make a difference for people who need it."

After five seasons at the Roosters, Crichton now calls the club home but he is also thankful to the Rabbitohs for helping him develop into the player he has become.

Souths coach Michael Maguire, who had just steered the club to the 2014 premiership, took a keen interest in Crichton, while current Roosters playmaker Luke Keary and grand final winning captain John Sutton were others.

“I was super raw. I hadn’t played a whole lot of league so I didn’t have a lot of smarts or understanding of the game,” he said.

“I was just always a rugby union kid. I played the odd game of rugby league here and there but I was more focused on rugby union, so it took me a couple of years to understand and learn.

“Luke Keary helped me a lot at Souths and John Sutton was a big help too. They had obviously been around the game a lot longer than I had and they could see areas I was struggling in, but they thought I had potential.”

Crichton made his Origin debut in 2018, helping the Blues to a series win under Brad Fittler, and he has made 11 appearances for NSW, while earning his first Kangaroos jersey at last year's World Cup.

Contracted to the Roosters until the end of next season, Crichton is determined to repay coach Trent Robinson for the influence on his career by helping to revive the fortunes of the club after four losses in their last six matches.

"It was a big call for me to come across from Souths to the Roosters and it was pretty intense at the time but I think I made the right decision," Crichton said.

"I have loved my time here and I can’t wait to win some more games with the Roosters."