Sydney Roosters NRL star Angus Crichton makes successful return to rugby league in reserve grade after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder
- was diagnosed in February
- has been seeking professional treatment
- returned in reserve grade against Newtown
Sydney Roosters representative forward Angus Crichton has made a successful return to rugby league, with an NRL return to come as soon as Anzac Day.
The 27-year-old back-rower was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and has been on indefinite leave since the diagnosis.
He returned for the Roosters in the reserve grade New South Wales Cup competition against Newtown at Henson Park on Saturday.
It wasn’t the ideal result for the Roosters, with the Jets running out 40-18 winners, but Crichton got through the hitout unscathed and could factor into calculations for the Anzac clash against St. George next weekend.
Crichton was only expected to play 50-60 minutes in his return, but played the full 80 minutes on the left edge.
Crichton warms up for the Roosters reserve grade side at Henson Park in his return to rugby league after his bipolar diagnosis
Crichton takes on the line for the Roosters in the NSWRL match. He could return to the NRL as soon as next week
Roosters coach Trent Robinson expects him to return to the NRL soon, depending on how he performs in the NSW Cup.
‘He has been really good at training so it’s time to start playing. He missed a lot of that pre-season period and you can’t replicate that during the season so we need to ramp it up through reserve grade,’ he said.
Crichton had been a regular player for the NSW and Australian teams before taking a leave of absence to seek treatment.
He was sent to see a number of specialists before the diagnosis was made.
Crichton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and has been seeking medical treatment over the last two months
Roosters coach Trent Robinson is hopeful that his star forward will be able to return to the NRL in the near future
The Roosters provided him with all the support and time he needed to deal with his condition, and his father confirmed that he was receiving appropriate professional treatment.
Despite concerns about potential sledging, Robinson is confident that the rugby league community will support Crichton as he makes his return to the sport.
He dismissed any concerns about players targeting Crichton over his mental health issues.
‘I think our game has been very good with that and our players have been really good right across the board with… we’re human, we’re imperfect,’ Robinson told media on Thursday.
‘There’s no better place than rugby league to know that’s the case and people accept that. We often have people around us and stories of family and friends so I just think he’ll be straight back into it as normal.
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