Hairstyle cut short for Crotty
Centre Ryan Crotty was in the middle of a haircut when his phone rang on Friday morning from the number he had been praying for: that of Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.
Centre Ryan Crotty was in the middle of a haircut when his phone rang on Friday morning from the number he had been praying for: that of Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.
He even braved stray barber's shears to jump across to the table and grab it, and he was rewarded with an instant gratification as Blackadder conveyed his instant congratulations.
“We knew we had to leave our phones on in case we got a call,” Crotty said to Sportal.
“Halfway through the hair cut the phone rang and the hairdresser nearly cut my head off as I reached for the phone.”
“Toddy said 'Congratulations' and I was so excited I didn't really hear much else. I was stoked, I was buzzing all yesterday and still am this morning. I gave Mum and Dad a call first then my partner.”
Crotty's not had the most auspicious of seasons, breaking an ankle in his full Canterbury debut against North Harbour – he had previously scored two tries in four matches off the bench – and missing the rest of the title run-in.
The break was an insult added to injury; the previous season he had broken the other ankle! But clearly he has done enough in the limited time he has had.
“Yeah, I certainly did think it [injury] might count against me,” he said.
“I had worked my way into the Air New Zealand Cup side and got a bench spot. Then I finally cracked a start and to get injured again was very gutting.
“It was tough to deal with but it gave me the chance to focus on my studies for the second half of the year. I had a really good world Under-20 campaign in Wales [New Zealand won the Junior World Cup in June] and hoped that might be taken into account.
“It's quite ironic that I've been studying sports psychology for the last few months so I was going into all the tools on how to stay positive.”
Crotty is working towards a Bachelor of Sports Coaching at Teachers' College, and will be fully fit by the time the season starts if all goes to schedule.
“I want to learn from the players around me who have a wealth of knowledge and if I get game time then I want to grab the opportunities in both hands,” he said of his targets for the forthcoming season.
“It's time to be a sponge and take in as much as you can.
“It's extremely exciting to know I can come into a new campaign fresh and with Gibbo [back coach Daryl Gibson] and Toddy as coaches, especially with Gibbo having played in my position at a high level.”