Sydney Roosters forward Angus Crichton has backed emerging halfback Sandon Smith to hit the ground running in his first game in the No.7 jumper for the season on Friday night.
The 21-year-old has been thrown into the hot seat after Sam Walker tore his ACL in a horror afternoon for the club last Sunday.
The halfback was one of four players to suffer injuries in the loss to the Raiders, with Brandon Smith, Victor Radley and Nat Butcher also ruled out of this week’s regular season finale against the Rabbitohs.
Smith has been handed the crucial halfback role and will play alongside Keary in the halves. The position comes with high expectations but Crichton said the senior players in the squad must play a crucial role in easing the pressure throughout the week.
“In a leadership sense I’ll step up a little bit more,” Crichton said. “I love to lead through my actions and help the boys make sure we’ve got that strong belief. I’ll be putting that faith in those younger guys or the less experienced guys that step in.
“Letting them know we believe in them and we’ve got their back. That’s half the battle, making sure the team believes they can go and do something, then we’ve just got to execute it.”
Crichton’s comments came after he was named the 2024 Brad Fittler Medal winner on Monday night, capping a remarkable rise from NSW Cup to the Blues’ best in the space of six months.
The back rower is proud of the achievement but has one more goal to tick off before he can sit back and reflect on the year. A premiership with the Roosters.
That task became significantly tougher last weekend when Walker and Smith suffered season-ending ACL injuries.
Radley fractured his scapula and while he has avoided surgery in the short-term, he remains at long odds to feature again this year. Butcher suffered a concussion in the loss to the Raiders and is set to return in the opening week of the finals.
Sandon Smith has played in 10 games this year, largely as a utility off the bench but started at halfback six times last season. In total he has worn the No.7 jumper 42 times in the NRL and NSW Cup since 2022 and the Roosters are developing him into Walker’s long-term halves partner.
Connor Watson has been named at hooker for Friday’s clash with the Rabbitohs, with Sitili Tupouniua to start at back row and Naufahu Whyte at lock.