Crichton began his rugby league journey with the Young Cherrypickers in the south-western slopes of NSW and revealed he struggled to make representative teams as a youngster.

“As a kid you dream of playing for Australia, and I sort of pinch myself now sitting here. When I was younger, I was from country NSW, so the rep teams we made were Riverina, and we would go away and verse [sic] all the Sydney schools at state comps to even make the state team. My little country team would get smoked every time,” Crichton said.

“And you’d be sitting there with your fingers crossed every time at the end hoping that you’d made the NSW team.

I didn’t use to make those teams, and to now be making the state team [and Australian team] is something that that little kid back when I was younger would have been dreaming of. It’s the highest honour for me.”

Now Crichton has played 14 Origins and six Test matches for the Kangaroos to go with 177 NRL games for the Roosters and Souths and there looks to be much more representative honours in the future.

Crichton went from the top of the sport as a World Cup winner in 2022 to out of the Roosters side a year later and his message to other players on the rollercoaster of rugby league and life is to admit when you are struggling.

“Don’t be too proud,” Crichton said.

“As men, and I think as athletes and footy players we can often be too proud to seek help or [worried you’ll] look like you’re weak, or look like you’re struggling, and sometimes it can be the strongest thing is to accept that you’re probably not where you need to be and to get the help that you need.

“And once you do that I think that people will respond and react differently to how you can build up in your mind.

Pretty much just don’t be too proud to accept that maybe you need a bit of help, and that’s the first step to getting better.”