Roosters star Angus Crichton has admitted there were times during the 2023 season when he questioned what he was doing on an NRL field.
Crichton suffered from a widely reported struggle with mental health following the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, later revealed to be a manic episode after a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Roosters backrower said: “looking back to where I was last season when I came back, I’ve thought ‘how the hell was I trying to play last year in the state that I was in?”
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Prior to the 2023 season there were several rumours swirling around about the back rower, including that he “fried his brain” while on mushrooms in the Netherlands after the World Cup and that he’d turn up to Roosters training donning a South Sydney jersey.
Missing the first seven rounds of last season, Crichton would start against the Dragons on ANZAC Day, but would play just 12 more times throughout the remainder of the campaign, largely from the bench.
Crichton admitted to the SMH that there were times on the field where, feeling weak and lacking confidence, he questioned what he was doing there.
“There were definitely times where I was like ‘mate, just get me off this field’,” he said.
Crichton’s form nose dived throughout the campaign, to the point where he averaged less than 100 running metres for the first time since his debut season and scored just once.
The Roosters were supportive of their edge forward throughout the year but were open to the prospect of him departing, especially considering the form of the likes of Nat and Egan Butcher and the emergence of young star Siua Wong.
After the disappointment of last year, Crichton explained he wanted to send people a reminder about the “great” player he is, and that he’s not just “that guy who locked up in a psychiatric ward”.
