Cooper Cronk won’t be rushing any decisions on his future and says it may not even involve rugby league.
The Sydney Roosters superstar halfback retired after their grand final triumph over Canberra with four NRL premierships, two Dally M medals, seven Queensland Origin series wins and two World Cup titles.
Beyond the silverware, his coaches have praised his unparalleled work ethic and dedication to teammates while Roosters mentor Trent Robinson has described him as the game’s greatest thinker.
Without a job after 16 seasons, Cronk says he’ll take time to decide on his next move.
The Roosters are hopeful of keeping him in their ranks as a specialist coach while the Storm, where he spent 14 seasons, would like Cronk to return to work with their young halves.
He’s also in high demand as a television commentator while he’s believed to have already signed up to complete a Masters of Business degree.
“I’ve got no idea,” Cronk said of his plans.
“Maybe I’ll sit in a commentary box and have a crack at some of these young blokes still running around – I’ve got some thinking to do.
“This game has been great to me so naturally I want to give back and give thanks.
“But there’s also the other aspect that there’s more to life than rugby league.”
Some questioned whether he could have the same impact in Sydney away from the Storm, where he’d enjoyed so much success.
But Cronk instead flourished out of the shadows of Cameron Smith and Billy Slater to underline his own status as one of the game’s greats.
Cronk said that was never his motivation when he left at the end of 2017.
“I never looked at it that way – I’m always grateful for the Storm because without them I’m not who I am today but I never made the move to prove a point,” the 35-year-old said.
“I never wanted to prove anyone wrong – I made the move because I love my wife and wanted to start a family and then the Roosters allowed me to have both loves, football and a family.”