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.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, his former Roosters teammate and soon-to-be rugby colleague Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii hailed Rugby Australia’s recruitment coup regardless, the 22-year-old lauding Crichton’s professionalism and toughness.
“He has a presence about him,” Suaalii told reporters in Sydney just a couple of weeks out from the Waratahs’ season opener. “He trains hard. He makes a lot of teammates better around him. That’s his special ability to make everyone better around him. He has that presence that you can’t get from anywhere else… you can feel the buzz around the group from the boys.
“He’s such a high-calibre player. He’s played Origin and played for Australia. He’s done so many things in the game of rugby league. It’s exciting to see where he’s going to play and what he’s going to do. With his work ethic and the person he is, he’ll kill it.”
Crichton’s two-year deal with RA theoretically puts the 29-year-old in the mix to join the Wallabies on their spring tour and potentially make his Test debut thereafter.
Suaalii did the same in 2024 before he’d even played for his new rugby club, a full four months before he played for the Waratahs, the youngster later named man of the match in Australia’s win over England in London.
Suaalii backed Crichton to be a success in rugby even if he didn’t tour with the Wallabies at the end of 2026, but said his 2024 trip north was hugely beneficial in his own rugby development.
“Yeah, for myself I feel like you want to get thrown into the deep water straight away. I feel like that’s where you have to sink or swim,’ he said. “For myself, I feel like it was a great thing for me to learn the game straight away.
“I’m not sure what they’re going to do with Angus, but I feel like whatever his journey is, he works hard. He’s a great person off the field and he’s tough as hell on the field. I feel like all his key [characteristics] are going to make him successful in the game.
What may prevent an early switch for Crichton is the fact the 11-time Kangaroos representative 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 Oct. 31, but complicating matters, the Rugby League World Cup straddles that date, running from Oct. 15 to Nov. 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.
