Cooper Cronk will test his injured shoulder by tackling Dylan Napa or other members of the Sydney Roosters forward pack but the star halfback has backed himself to play in Sunday night's grand final against Melbourne at the ANZ Stadium.
Cronk was free of the sling he was wearing earlier in the week and his range of movement had improved significantly as he fronted a grand final press conference with members of the Roosters and Storm camps.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson says his "gut feeling" was that Cronk would face his former Melbourne team‑mates.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy and captain Cameron Smith said their first‑hand knowledge of Cronk’s ability to recover from injury had convinced them he was likely to play.
However, Cronk admitted he needed further improvement before being cleared to play and would not take the field against his former Melbourne team‑mates unless he was capable of tackling the giant Storm forwards who will target him in defence.
The Roosters will play the Storm at 9.20pm Sunday in the NRL Grand Final.
[Source: NRL]
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