Two NRL greats have reflected on moments they shared with outgoing Roosters star Luke Keary, who announced earlier this week he would be hanging up the boots at the end of the 2024 season.
During the Matty Johns podcast, Johns and one of Keary’s former teammates in Cooper Cronk paid tribute to the diminutive playmaker’s decorated career with stories that exemplified the person Keary is.
“When he (Keary) played under-20s for Souths, Michael Maguire brought some young lads along,” Johns said.
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“He got a chance and played in the preseason 9 competition but tore his chest. Madge said he was feeling down, so I called him and said, ‘Luke, we can’t do any training, come to the house and we’ll go for a walk in the park.’
“We’re walking along and I look next to me and he’s not there, but standing 10 yards behind him and he’s got his head down and I’m thinking, ‘Are you okay, Luke?’
“And he said, ‘Matty, I’m just terrified that I’m not going to make it’ and I just thought, ‘mate, what you just said is why you’re going to make it.’
“I thought that said it all about him.”
Cronk reflected on the build-up to the 2018 Grand Final, as he prepared for a Grand Final against the Storm, his former club, in his first season with the Roosters.
However, Cronk had a broken shoulder blade, and there was a lot of doubt that he would play.
Keary was Cronk’s half-partner that season.
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“In the run-up to the 2018 grand final I suffered a broken shoulder. I remember the first meeting on Sunday morning, I think, after I suffered the injury. It was unlikely I would play because it was broken,” Cronk said.
“Keary stands up and says, ‘I don’t really care if Cooper plays, we’re going to win that game.’
“You could hear a pin drop and everyone actually went, you know what he’s right about. He flipped the script.
“He flipped the whole script and made everyone believe in it since he was going to be the man steering the ship that day.”
Cronk would play bravely, despite his shoulder being 30%, and the Roosters would win that grand final 21-6, with Keary starring.
“He went out and played the game of his life. If everything had to happen that day, he had to have a career performance,” Cronk said.
