Luke Keary provided a stunning insight into Cooper Cronk playing the 2018 Grand Final with a fractured scapula and the remarkable build-up to his Clive Churchill Medal winning performance.
Speaking on Face to Face with Jake Duke, Keary reflected on one of the craziest week’s in his NRL career, which will come to an end when the curtain falls on the Roosters’ 2024 season.
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Cronk fractured his scapula the week before the 2018 decider in the preliminary final and the whole build-up to the decider was dominated by talk of will he or won’t he play?
Keary revealed he actually addressed the team at some point in the week and said words to the affect of, it doesn’t matter if he is playing, we are winning.
“It probably wasn’t as dramatic as people say, it was like what are we doing boys? Let’s go,” Keary explained.
“One of Cooper’s biggest strengths was he could fill you with confidence. I remember even talking to him about different things where he was like, I wasn’t sure if we were good or not, but I would make you believe I was sure.
“That was just a bit of, like hey we worked so hard to get here, we are one step away from this, don’t worry about him, we are sweet, we got this.”
Mitchell Aubusson was named in the No.7 jersey, with Cronk in jersey No.23 while the Roosters kept his fractured scapula under wraps throughout Grand Final week.
While the Roosters players were never sure if Cronk could actually play, Keary revealed the mere presence of their brave halfback gave them confidence.
“I think it was the day before the game when he came in and said, boys I might be able to play,” Keary recalled.
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“But it didn’t change us at all because we knew he wasn’t going to be able to do too much physically.
“But you could just see the focus. Aubusson, Friend, Cordner all those boys were just so locked in and focused and it just spread throughout the crew.
“You could feel the younger guys go, we are sweet here.”
However, Keary revealed that it was not until two minutes before the Roosters ran out onto the field for the decider, that the players knew Cronk was coming with them.
“I remember they needled him in the warm-up and he said, we will just see how the needle goes and if it works I will play,” Keary said.
“The two minute bell went and I looked at him and went, you sweet?
“And he put the jersey on and he walked out and that was it.”
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Cronk had a minimal role in the Grand Final, but acted as the perfect decoy to allow Keary to run riot on the way to winning man-of-the-match.
Keary always knew the game was set up for him to have a big performance, particularly when Cronk decided to play.
“I did yeah,” Keary said.
“Me and James (Tedesco) spoke during the week if we are going to come up with points we are going to have to play a little bit more than we normally would.
“We had to play a different style in that game. We played a little bit of both sides. Even the kicking and things like that, it all just worked out.”
Keary iced a field goal to put the game beyond doubt at 19-6, but revealed it was Cronk who was behind the heads-up play.
“I remember he was the one who set the field goal up,” Keary said.
“He was telling me and I wasn’t really thinking bout that.
“Even defensively on that edge. He couldn’t really tackle, but it was just solid around him. Aubusson and Manu, I think all those blokes needed him.”
Keary had already won a competition with Souths by the time Cronk joined him at the Roosters, but he revealed the amazing impact he had on his career.
“Maturity, experience, he had this presence and aura about him,” Keary said on Face to Face.
“You walked on the field and you knew like in the 2018 Grand Final, it didn’t matter if he was good or not, like he was on the field. He gave us this confidence.
“As good as a footy player he was his biggest attribute in my experience was his influence over everyone else.”
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One of the smallest playmakers pound for pound in NRL history, Keary revealed he had to change his game to prolong his career after building the start of it on sheer will and effort and Trent Robinson and Cronk helped him with that transition.
“Because I wasn’t as talented I built my game on this toughness and working hard and being aggressive and things like that,” Keary said.
“I figured out that is not really sustainable for 10 years at this size. For Jared Waerea-Hargreaves it is.
“I had to figure out a different way to influence the game. As perfect as Madge was for the start of my career, Robbo was for the second part of my career and Cronk was a big part of that too.
“He taught me how to be a playmaker, how to manage games, how to influence games with kicking, passing, running games. He taught me about how to dominate.”
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