The Sydney Roosters and not the NRL will have the final say on whether Angus Crichton is available for an early Wallabies debut in October, amid the star forward’s high-profile code hop.
Crichton’s international availability has emerged as a hot topic since the second-rower announced 2026 would be his last NRL season before a move to his boyhood code.
The deal theoretically puts the 29-year-old in the mix to make his Wallabies debut during the 2026 Test window.
Crichton’s former Roosters teammate Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii did the same in 2024 before he’d even played for his new rugby club, Super Rugby Pacific’s Waratahs.
But 11-time Kangaroos representative Crichton would also be in the selection frame for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, which begins while he is still an NRL-contracted player.
Crichton is officially a free agent after October 31, but complicating matters, the Rugby League World Cup straddles that date, running from October 15 to November 15.
But the NRL itself will not have the power to mandate Crichton stay in rugby league in order to fulfil representative duties and remain out of union’s clutches.
AAP has been told that salary-cap rules leave sole discretion to Crichton’s club the Roosters, who can determine whether he is permitted to join rugby before November 1.
The Roosters are among the NRL premiership favourites for 2026, so could feature on grand final day on October 4.
But even if Crichton is released on October 5, there are still two Wallabies Tests between then and October 31, currently the last day of his Roosters contract.
The Roosters have not officially announced their plans, but it appears unlikely the club would stand in Crichton’s way should he approach them for an early exit once their season is complete.
If Crichton opted for one last hurrah at the Rugby League World Cup, he would need extra insurance to play with the Kangaroos past October, given he would no longer be a contracted player.
Crichton’s payment would not be affected in that case, given Test players are renumerated with match payments, rather than by their NRL team.
