'Always admired him': Cordner tears up on air in emotional tribute to Crichton 08:58

Mark Levy, Boyd Cordner, Darrell Roman, Paul Gallen, the continuous call team on this Saturday. Gavin at Earlwood says, Hi Mark and boys, early on stadium you needed your snorkel gear. That was terribly bad draining the field like wet and wild. Yeah, it was like water skiing last night and watching the players in the warm-up, it was hilarious. Boyd, I mean, they're out there...

warming up in puddles and getting themselves saturated and everything else just to get themselves acclimatised for the next 80 minutes ahead, I guess you'd say. Yeah, it was funny because when we all come to the stadium, when we're inside in the sheds, you can't see what's going on outside. And it was actually a really good night. It wasn't that cold. The ground was dry. And then all of a sudden we're like, oh, we have to do the warm-up inside. And we're like, what's going on?

So, mate, it's torrential out there, lightning everywhere, and we're like, oh, okay, sweet. And they're like, oh, well, you can finish the warm-up outside. We went out, and it was soaked. Like, I was running the blue shirt, and...

I had puddles going up in my shins and it was crazy. It reminded me of that, can you remember the Anzac Day match in 2016? They called it off. Yeah, it was dead set like that. So it blew me away to see how much rain we got in. We actually showed footage of the State of Origin game at the SCG where Crusher Clear went into the dropout and he missed the ball because it didn't bounce up.

It was like that. It was unbelievable. Pretty crazy. Well, the Roosters got the points in the end, 38 points to 14 over Parramatta, so they maintained third spot on the ladder after the 24-point victory. And what about the season this bloke's had? Angus Crichton, he was phenomenal for the Blues, and he's been one of the real standout performers for the Roosters, and I'm pleased to say he's on the line. G'day, Angus.

Hey, g'day, boys. Thanks for having me on. Mate, welcome to the show and congratulations on your form this year. You've just been phenomenal, like I said. Just on the conditions, though, you needed a snorkel and some flippers last night. Gee, it was wet.

Yeah, like Boydo was saying, it was weird because when we got in there, it was pretty dry and it was actually quite a nice day, nice arbor, bit of sun in the morning down the beach and then next thing you know, you're underwater and sort of slipping around everywhere. Yeah, mate, it was a bit of a fog fest out there, but yeah, good to get the win. Mate, your form has gone to a new level and I've always been a fan of what you've done, but I suppose...

From me being a Queenslander, the second State of Origin game this year, I was a bit amazed how well you went. And then from that moment onwards, you've done it again. Third State of Origin and your form for the Roosters is impeccable. Congratulations. Mate, you've always been a good player. I know that. But I think this year you have gone to a new level. Yeah, cheers, man. I appreciate it. I think... Yeah, I guess...

After last season, I sort of had a bit of a point to prove and yeah, you sort of don't want to use external stuff to, I guess, ignite a fire in you or whatnot. But I guess having a lot of people talking a lot of rubbish and writing me off and whatnot, I think,

but might have also played a part. So they've just got to keep on rolling, keep on going. And I think the team as well is really playing really well together and different guys are maturing and different guys are having really, really good seasons.

across the field, which makes my job easier and makes me look better as well. Angus, I want to ask you a question about the role that Boyd Corden has played in sort of mentoring you because without wanting to sort of embarrass him, he's sitting alongside me here. What I said throughout the Origin Series about you is it shows the mark of somebody to not only rebuild themselves as a human being, given what you went through last year, but

But to put yourself in the mix to return to first grade, to then put yourself in the mix to earn a call up for New South Wales, to be playing some of your best football, that's something you should be enormously proud of. And I know you had a few people supporting you along the way. Can you tell us what role Boyd played in sort of helping you get through that period and getting to the point that you've reached today? Yeah.

Yeah, well, honestly, mate, I've obviously always admired Boydo. And coming from South, when we'd go up against each other, it was always a tough game. And there's some players in the league that when you come up against them, they'll talk a bit of shit and they'll try and have a niggle. But there was none of that ever with Boydo. It was always just straight up and down business. And I always just sort of respected the way he played. And then, obviously, he was a big part of me

me wanting to come over here to sort of learn off him and try and emulate him. He was that sort of premium back rower in the comp and that's what I was aspiring to be. And yeah, and then obviously got to know him quite well and great mates and played a fair few games together before his sort of stuff sort of happened. And then, yeah,

yeah, I was sort of that next man up when he went down and sort of stepped into that 11 jersey on the left there for the Roosters, which he'd locked down for so long and played so many big games in. And yeah, it's something that I didn't take lightly because the respect I got for the guy, the admiration I got for the guy, and then yeah, just the kind of person that he is and the player that he was and

Yeah, I think for me every single time I put that 11 jersey for the Roosters on, I carry that weight of the work that Boydo put into that jersey and I don't want to let him or the jersey down. That must make you feel pretty good, Boydo, to hear Inga say that. Yeah, mate, it's great because we've been close mates ever since he's come over and I've seen how hard he works. I've always admired him also from what he'd done as a rookie coming into the...

Coming into the game, but yeah, just getting to know him from the time we've won a comp together, we've played Origins together and then just to be really good mates. But what I want to say about Gus is it's throughout the whole, you know, past however many months that, you know, he was out of the game or went away from it.

Just to see firsthand how hard he's worked to get back to where he is, it's so good to see because it's been no one else. He can credit everyone else, but he's had to put in that work. No one else. Everyone might have played a little part in that, but for him to get to where he is now, the work that I've seen him put in, no one else, like, he'd done it himself. It was...

It's so good to see. And you're a bit emotional. Yeah, because I love him. He's a good mate and I know how hard he works. Good on you. Do you love him more than the dog you nearly lost? No, he was texting me all night actually. I think he loves Zorro more than his family.

He was saying, he goes, I hope it wasn't someone that stoned because if you find out who it was, then we might not see you for a while. You and Angus after it. Yeah. It'll be like that bloke had a take in or John Wick, mate. I don't know.

I will find you. I will kill you. Angus, what about going back to the Roosters? You guys obviously, yeah, you've got a great side. We know that. You've got a number of guys leaving, guys like Kiri, Manu, Swally, JWH, two Panuas on his way out the door. Have you spoke about the opportunity you guys have to win a premiership this year and send them guys out the way they should? To be honest, mate, we haven't spoke about that as such, but we've definitely touched on the fact that we've got

what now, potentially six games left with those guys. Three round games left in finals. So think about it, mate. It's not much time at all. And it's at this time of year where you've got to make sure you're nailing everything. So we're sort of trying to zero our focus in and we're training hard. We're doing everything off the field to make sure that we can perform on it and

And, yeah, it's a big... We're all such a tight group here. Even the guys that are leaving, we want to send them out as winners and we want to send them out the way they deserve to go. And all those guys have put so much into the jersey and it'd be nice to...

it'd be nice to send them out that way but we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves because we all know that a lot can change in a week and we've just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and locking up those performances and keep building. Well, another good one last night. 38-14 over Parramatta. Keep up the good work.

Good work, Angus. We really mean that. And you should be enormously proud of what you've been able to do this year, not only at representative level, but for the Roosters as well. And I think the entire game of rugby league is just delighted to see you playing great football and you with a smile on your face. So keep it up, mate. Lovely to catch up. Thanks, legend. See ya. Good on you, mate. Angus Crichton from the Sydney Roosters. And what a story it is and what a career he's had and what a year he's having for the Sydney Roosters. 38-14, they maintain third spot on the ladder.