NSW Origin discard Angus Crichton is confident his best rugby league is ahead of him in what he admits has been an up and down year.
Crichton played off the bench in all three Origin matches last year and did the same for the 2019 series opener.
However, the Sydney Roosters forward was one of four players dropped from the side following their game one loss to Queensland.
‘”Obviously I’m disappointed not to be there but I think first and foremost I’ve got to be playing my best footy here at the club and that’s my goal,” Crichton said.
The 23-year-old forward also came off the bench in his last three club games after previously occupying a starting second-row spot for most of the year..
‘It’s been a bit up and down this year,” Crichton said when questioned about his 2019 form.
“But I think I’m feeling really good at this stage of the year and coming to this back-end I’m confident my best footy is ahead of me.”
Crichton has again been listed on the bench for Saturday’s home clash with Newcastle..
The former Australian schoolboys rugby union representative played junior league for the Roosters and returned to the club before this season, after spending his first three NRL campaigns at arch-rivals South Sydney.
“There’s never any excuses, I think coming into a new club obviously learning a new style of play and making sure that I’m doing everything the right way,” Crichton said.
‘But I’m still working hard to get better and better every week.”
Asked if Roosters’ coach Trent Robinson had told him what was missing from his game Crichton said: “we’ve had conversations like you do with every coach but I won’t go into that, I think that’s private stuff that we discuss.”
The Roosters have lost five of their last seven games to drop to fourth but Crichton dismissed the suggestion they were in a form slump.
‘Not at all, we’ve got a great team here, we’ve got a team that’s capable of doing great things,” he said
“You can rest assured that this team here isn’t complacent and we’re not stopping trying.”
The Roosters will field one of their strongest teams of the season for Saturday’s game.
NSW captain Boyd Cordner and Origin man of the series James Tedesco are both back in the side after being rested last weekend.