Hoops: Struggling Crichton to miss Roosters' opening games

Sydney Roosters backrower Angus Crichton will be unavailable for the Tricolours’ opening round games against the NRL’s newest team the Dolphins and the Warriors.

The NSW and Australian backrower has been granted time away from the Roosters as the club prepares to kickstart its 2023 campaign.

Crichton, 27, enjoyed another outstanding season last year which included three games for the NSW State of Origin side and then the World Cup-winning Kangaroos squad tour of the UK.

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Crichton is expected to miss at least the opening two games of the NRL season as the club works on getting the backrower back on the field.

The Roosters have an extremely strong track record when it comes to player welfare and the entire club is in Crichton’s corner in terms of getting the NSW and Australian backrower back playing in the NRL.

Crichton is currently having a fortnight away from training with the rest of the Roosters with his father issuing a statement overnight saying he has bipolar disorder.

ROBBO AND FITZY’S SECRET GAME

The Cronulla Sharks and Sydney Roosters had a secret pre-season hit out at Henson Park on Thursday as both clubs fine tune in the lead up to round one launching into orbit.

But don’t be fooled into thinking the Sharks and Roosters are about to form any sort of alliance due to the close mateship between coaches Craig Fitzgibbon and Trent Robinson.

Both coaches are so competitive winning means everything.

Fitzgibbon won the Clive Churchill Medal in the Roosters 2002 premiership and is a life member of the Chooks.

Fitz also spent almost a decade under Robinson as an assistant before taking on the Cronulla gig where he did an outstanding job in his first season guiding the club to a top two finish during last year’s regular season.

Joseph Suaalii didn’t take part in the trial after sustaining a head knock in the Tricolours trial against Manly last weekend.

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BURGESS BEHIND LATRELL’S FITNESS

South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell’s pre-season form has plenty to do with English international Sam Burgess being back at the club.

Under previous coach Wayne Bennett, Mitchell was often given a leave pass from the wrestling side of training.

But since Burgess has been back at Redfern he’s been insistent Mitchell also work on the grappling side of the game and the results are there for everyone to see.

Mitchell’s strength levels are off the charts with the South Sydney fullback now one of the Rabbitohs best when it comes to the wrestling side of training.

BEST YET TO COME FOR TIGERS

There’s been plenty of plaudits about the Wests Tigers off season signing spree landing the signatures of Isaiah Papali’i, John Bateman and David Klemmer at Concord but the equally big positive is the club is still yet to field new captain Api Koroisau.

The absence of Koroisau was one of the biggest talking points out of the Panthers World Club Challenge loss to St Helens with the craft and guile of the dummy-half around the ruck so often creating so much time for Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai to play off the back of.

Ex-Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire was a big part of delivering Koroisau to the Concord-based club but it’s equally important to note the role new coach Tim Sheens and chairman Lee Hagipantelis also played in getting the deal done.

After years of throwing good money after bad in the recruitment space (think Russell Packer, Ben Matulino, Josh Reynolds, Moses Mbye), the Tigers look to have finally corrected the ship.

There’s an argument Koroisau — who is on track for round one despite a calf strain picked up at training last week — could end up being the club’s most important signing of the past decade.

EX-NRL VETERAN ON RADAR FOR RETURN

There was only a struck match between St Helens fullback Jack Welsby and backrower Curtis Sironen as man of the match in the World Club Challenge win over NRL premiers Penrith.

NRL clubs didn’t miss the dominant display from the ex-Wests Tigers and Manly forward with a couple immediately picking up the phone to check out Sironen’s contract status.

We’ve heard one club even went as far as getting a senior player to call Sironen and ask if there was any chance of getting out of St Helens for an immediate return to the NRL this year.

Sironen, 29, is contracted for the remainder of this season and has hit career-best form since making the switch to the English Super League and winning a title with St Helens.

DRAGONS CULTURE UNDER FIRE

The word culture is often overused in professional sport these days but fundamentally without it what you get is basket case clubs with a clear lack of DNA, respect and discipline.

On face value two St George Illawarra players having a wrestle at 6am in the morning in the NSW central west town of Mudgee after a night on the sauce rates about a one out of ten on the atrocity Richter scale.

It might not even be a one. But when you unpack the Dragons presentation night where only three players showed up, the BBQ-gate from a couple of years ago and the way the Red V played in the opening trial against South Sydney it becomes blatantly clear the depth of problems facing St George Illawarra.

At the strong NRL clubs - we’ll use the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm and Cronulla as examples - players who make bad decisions off the field are called to account in front of the entire group.

They have to stand up in front of teammates and coaching staff, explain themselves and then answer any questions the rest of the club might have about what went on.

When the Dragons filed into a team meeting on Tuesday there was none of this.

Zane Musgrove and Mikaele Ravalawa stayed silent and it was left to coach Anthony Griffin to address the team about what happened in Mudgee.

The problem is St George Illawarra already had enough going on in terms of pressure on Griffin and where the club is headed leading into the new season.

This latest stuff up only adds further heat on a club already under the pump.

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ROOSTERS WANT SUAALII DEAL DONE

The Sydney Roosters have let player agent Isaac Moses know they want to avoid a contract circus around emerging superstar Joseph Suaalii.

It’s well-known the teenager is the primary target for Rugby Australia with talk the rival code will pay well in excess of $1.5 million per season for the NRL rookie.

When the Roosters signed Suaalii from South Sydney the club clinched the deal by agreeing to allow him a get-out clause every season.

The fine print stipulates he has to tell the Chooks by May every year whether he’s on board for the following season.

Suaalii has told the Roosters he loves the club and wants to remain at the Tricolours but so far there’s been no movement on removing the get-out clause.

The Roosters have told Moses in no uncertain terms they don’t want headlines on a daily basis about his future and are aiming to get the 19-year-old locked down for 2024 as soon as possible.

Suaalii has time on his side in terms of his development as an NRL player and is expected to become a major threat playing in the centres for the Roosters this year.