Cooper Cronk is setting aside any emotion over looming retirement as he goes in pursuit of a rare third-straight NRL premiership.

Cronk will be playing in his 36th finals match – having only missed the finals series once in his 16-year career – when his Sydney Roosters host South Sydney on Friday night.

If the Roosters go all the way and successfully defend the title, he will become the first half since Peter Sterling in the early 1980s to win three straight grand finals.

But with between two and four games left in his career, Cronk won’t allow himself to become sentimental.

“You need to be cold-hearted in these approaches,” Cronk said.

“Because emotion can be a really good thing, it can be a driving force, but it can also be a heavy toll and weigh you down.

“Through my time I have had different moments where nostalgia and emotion can come into play.

“Hopefully I have dealt with it in a pretty plain way and just gone out and competed.”

Cronk’s pursuit of history comes after he last year became the first player in 45 years to win consecutive grand finals at different clubs following his shift from 2017 premiers Melbourne.

The Roosters haven’t let the term “back-to-back” become part of their vocabulary this season.

Some of that no doubt is directed by Cronk.

His approach to retirement is in line with his ice-man status in the game.

Time and time again he has delivered at the clutch moment for the Storm, Queensland, Australia and the Roosters.

“You’re not immune to (emotion),” Cronk added.

“I understand it is there. But I think you’ve just got to put it in its little box.

“If you think it’s overwhelming and deal with it in a much larger scale than what it is, that can affect you.

“It’s reality. I have only a few games left. At some stage it’s going to be my last game. And I’m okay with it.

“I will go out and compete until the final siren.”

Regardless, Cronk has already left a lasting impact at the Roosters in his two seasons there.

“It’s not what he’s said to me but just what I’ve seen him do, that’s what I’ve learned from Cooper,” young second-rower Angus Crichton said at Kayo’s finals launch on Tuesday.

“The way the guy prepares to play 80 minutes of football every week. The way he devotes his week to make sure he is ready to perform on the weekend.

“The way the guy knows the opposition better than anyone. He knows our place better than anyone and executes during the week better than anyone.”