Sydney Roosters NRL star Angus Crichton makes successful return to footy after bipolar diagnosis
Sydney Roosters NRL star Angus Crichton successfully returns to rugby league in reserve after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder
- was diagnosed in February
- is seeking professional treatment
- returned in reserve against Newtown
Sydney Roosters representative Angus Crichton has made a successful return to rugby league, with an NRL return on Anzac Day.
The 27-year-old back-rower was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and has been on indefinite leave since diagnosis.
He returned for the Roosters in the reserve New South Wales Cup competition against Newtown at Henson Park on Saturday.
It wasn’t the ideal result for the Roosters, with the Jets winning 40-18, but Crichton came through the hitout unscathed and factored into the calculations for the Anzac clash against St. George next weekend.
Crichton would only play 50–60 minutes on his return, but played the full 80 minutes on the left side.
Crichton warms up for the Roosters reserve league at Henson Park in his return to rugby league following his bipolar diagnosis
Crichton takes on the Roosters in the NSWRL match. He could return to the NRL as early as next week
Roosters coach Trent Robinson expects him to return to the NRL soon depending on how he performs in the NSW Cup.
“He’s very good at training, so it’s time to play. He missed a lot of that pre-season period and you can’t replicate that during the season, so we have to step it up to the reserve league,” he said.
Crichton was a regular player for the NSW and Australian teams before taking a leave of absence to seek treatment.
Before the diagnosis was made, he was sent to a number of specialists.
Crichton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and has been seeking medical help for the past two months
Roosters coach Trent Robinson hopes his star striker can return to the NRL in the near future
The roosters provided him with all the support and time he needed to deal with his condition, and his father confirmed that he was receiving proper professional treatment.
Despite concerns over possible sledding, Robinson is confident the rugby league community will support Crichton in his return to the sport.
He dismissed any concerns about players targeting Crichton due to his mental health issues.
“I think our game has been really good with that and our players have been really good across the board with … we’re human, we’re imperfect,” Robinson told media on Thursday.
“There’s no better place than rugby league to know that this is the case and people accept that. We often have people around us and stories from family and friends so I just think he will be back to normal.