Superstar recruit Cooper Cronk has revealed a burning desire to prove he can win without Billy Slater and Cameron Smith as a prime motivator in signing with the Sydney Roosters.
Cronk, who turns 34 in December, admits he was ready to hang up his boots in 2018 after declaring mid-season that his 14th year with Melbourne would be his last.
“I honestly thought retirement was going to be the choice,” Cronk said on Fox Sports’ NRL 360.
“I got to the finals and really had that drive and really enjoyed the excitement and pressure of finals football and then I half considered playing on.
“I think I even said after the grand final that it’s pretty hard to walk away after moments like this.
“Then, the week after the grand final and after celebrating, I met with my agent and looked at what the options were.”
Despite fielding offers to play on elsewhere, the two-time Dally M Medallist said the Roosters felt the right fit.
“The Roosters have been successful for a long period of time under Trent Robinson,” Cronk said.
“I’ve admired them from afar and, from the few memorable conversations that we’ve had, they ticked a lot of the right boxes.”
Armchair critics have been urging Cronk to give the game away, saying he had nothing left to prove and only his legacy to lose.
But helping the Roosters to a premiership may well elevate him to future Immortal status alongside former Storm teammates Slater and Smith.
“It’s one hell of a challenge that I’m super excited about. Seeing myself in a different jersey is going to be difficult but everyone can play football when things go their way.
“But when adversity hits you, you really find out your true colours and I’m really looking forward to that.”
Cronk knows the easy decision would have been to call it quits after helping the Storm to a third premiership in his seventh grand final appearance this month.
“It’s hard to walk away from all the advice that people gave me, that you’re a long time retired,” he said.
“And, while it would have been romantic and a nice story to walk away at Melbourne Storm, I still have that itch and that drive to want to be tested on the big stage.”
Cronk has dominated Pearce on the big stage so many times that he’s a seven-times State of Origin series winner, while his potential new clubmate has failed to savour even one series victory since debuting for the Blues almost a decade ago.
But he insists he can thrive with Pearce and fellow Roosters half Luke Keary and is even looking forward to learning from the duo.
“Both of those kids have an arsenal of weapons to dominate in the halves,” Cronk said.
“For me to come along and play with them and help them a little bit, they’re definitely going to teach me something as well.
“I don’t see my game being the end product. I definitely think I can improve and get better and there’s some traits that Mitchell has that I think I can learn from and there’s some traits that I have that they might be able to learn off as well.”