Roosters forwards Angus Crichton and Sam Verrills have given teammates Siosiua Taukeiaho and Daniel Tupou plenty of praise ahead of their milestones this Saturday night as the side welcomes back plenty of firepower as they take on the Gold Coast Titans.
With Taukeiaho ticking off 150 games for Easts and Tupou becoming the 12th clubman to play 200 games in the Red, White and Blue, their counterparts were sure to announce their excitement as they celebrate two monumental achievements.
“Siua is one of the most underrated props in the game,” Crichton stated.
“He’s been in that elite tier of front rowers for a while now. Being able to line up alongside him for the last three years has been an honour. He’s a great family man and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve, I love lining up Siua and can’t wait to do it again on this special night.
“Toops is one of a kind. I’m so excited for him to play his 200th. He’s a special guy and he’s super humble, super hard-working and he goes about his business. He doesn’t want any praise or attention and he just works hard and it shows how successful he has been in his career.
Finals Media - Sam Verrills
“People who know Daniel know how great a man he is and how caring of a guy he is. He wouldn’t tell you he had played his 200th or played football if you met him on the street. That’s what we love about Toops and I can’t wait to play in a big game on the weekend for him.
“Siua, he’s one of the best dudes you’ll meet in the game,” added Verrills.
“He’s a family man, and you know exactly what you’re going to get from Siua. I’m so glad that I’m packing down with him and not versing him because you see what he does on the training field and on the playing field. I can only imagine what he’s like on the field to play against.
“He deserves all the accolades he gets. I’m so happy for him - 150 games for the Roosters is massive.
“You know what you’re going to get from Toopy. He’s very humble and he won’t say too much but when he does talk, you know where it’s coming from.
“On the field, he can finish off tries; we’ll have a bad set and you can kick it to Toops and he’ll score for you. Coming out of the backfield he’s one of the toughest guys with a carry, he’s like Siua in pre-season training. When you’re going up against him at training you just don’t want him to run at you because he’s so big and hard to tackle.
“I’m just so happy that he gets to play 200 for the Roosters. He deserves everything because he’s one of the good guys of Rugby League and he’s a good man.
Finals Media - Angus Crichton
In a big boost for the first week of finals, the Roosters welcome back forward leaders Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Victor Radley, who will no doubt add plenty of steel and firepower to the engine room that will take on a forward pack featuring a number of Queensland State of Origin players.
It's an exciting prospect for Crichton and Verrills, who will both pack down with the aforementioned duo,
“We know the end goal and that’s Grand Final day. We’ve got players coming back and we’ve got players firing as well. We can’t wait to showcase what the Roosters brand of footy is.
Sam Verrills
who were also sure to credit those who filled in their place and upheld the high standards both at training and on the field.
“Having that time off for Vic and myself, there’s have been some younger guys step up and get some more responsibility and grow their game,” Crichton stated.
“That’s probably been the biggest positive; guys like Egan Butcher having some big minutes and having some impact on games. Now that Rads comes back, it gives us a bit of depth in that position and different guys stepping up at different times.
“I’ve been proud on the sidelines, that’s for sure.”
“We’ve got the players to make a long run in the finals,” assured Verrills.
“We have had an unfortunate year with injuries, but that just means other guys have been able to step up and fill their role.
“I think that’s what has been good for us, we haven’t asked too much for anyone, but we’ve all put in as a team. We’ve focused on how we’re going to perform. Come Saturday night we know we have an 80-minute performance we’ve got to put in.
“We play a tough, physical brand. It doesn’t matter who is wearing the jersey, we’re still wearing a Roosters jersey.
“We feel like we can go a long way in this finals series.”
The pair also backed their ability to make a charge into the NRL finals, with the Tricolours’ journey being sudden death from start to finish. They believe that the turbulence and challenges faced in the season will have their benefits in the most important part of the season.
“We’ve got a really hungry team here and we’re excited to kick-off training and the week,” Crichton said.
“We’ve had a longer turnaround which has been a nice little treat heading into the finals so we’re just going to ramp it up.
“The next man up mentality has been something that’s been real this season and I’m super proud of our squad, our young guys and the guys who are stepping up into leadership roles.
“We’re used to it. They’re the cards we’ve been dealt all year and it’s common day to day life now. There’s not much different and there isn’t much change and it’s something we’re quite used to.
“People who know Daniel know how great a man he is and how caring of a guy he is. He wouldn’t tell you he had played his 200th or played football if you met him on the street. That’s what we love about Toops and I can’t wait to play in a big game on the weekend for him.
Angus Crichton On Daniel Tupou
“We demand those standards every week even in the regular season and they know now that the competition changes and how important every session, every little bit of training and every chance that we get to grow as a team they know how important it is to leave no stone unturned.
“We’ve got a really good group of young guys, they don’t really need too much guidance. It’s more about getting them confident and the best out of them in the way.”
“We’re in finals now, it’s the business end of the year,” said Verrills.
“For me, I can’t wait to get out there on the weekend. I know as a Club we’re super excited and we’re up against an in-form team against the Titans so it’s going to be a really good finals game for us.
“We know the end goal and that’s Grand Final day. We’ve got players coming back and we’ve got players firing as well. We can’t wait to showcase what the Roosters brand of footy is.
“We’re heading up to Townsville, it’s really exciting for us and we can’t wait to kick off.”
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