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.
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Crichton's international availability has emerged as a hot topic since the second-rower announced 2026 would be his last NRL season before reverting to his boyhood code.
The move theoretically puts the 29-year-old in the mix to make his Wallabies debut during the 2026 spring Test window, likely as an inside centre, after the NRL season is finished.
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 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.
It appears unlikely the Roosters would stand in Crichton's way should he approach them for an early exit once their season is complete.
Soon to be Crichton's coach at the Waratahs, Dan McKellar believes he would be capable of surging immediately into the Wallabies' best team after finishing with the Roosters.
"He's a winner, he's a State of Origin player who has got a rugby union background, it's not like he's coming in completely fresh," McKellar said.
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.
Once he gets his hands on Crichton, McKellar will draw on lessons learned reshaping Suaalii into a rugby union player.
"They're naturally good footballers, but it's the intricacies of the game that you need to coach them hard on," McKellar said.
"When you're dealing with players like Joseph or Angus, they've got a thirst for wanting to get better and better every day, so I don't see that as being too much of an issue."
Elsewhere, McKellar says the Waratahs remain as tight as ever despite a much-publicised training punch-up between Miles Amatosero and Angus Scott-Young.
Amatosero is spending time away from the Waratahs after launching multiple punches at his teammate during a contact session this month.
The towering lock will also miss their two trial games, the first of which is against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
"Come round one, the week leading into the Reds game, as long as Miles does what he needs to do, then we move on," McKellar said.
"We always train on the edge, (but) we can't overstep the mark. That's the balance we've got to get right.
"I will say, this group as a whole, off the back of a really good week (of pre-season camp) in Mudgee, is as connected and as tight a group as I've been involved in."
Australian Associated Press
