By Campbell Burnes  

George Crichton is back with his old club and keen to do his bit to help lift the Papakura
premiers in 2018.
The 28-year- old loose forward, equally home at No 8 or blindside flanker, but with the
capacity to also play lock, returned to training on Tuesday night, where Counties Manukau
assistant coach Grant Henson was also on hand. Crichton also brought along some of his
mates from Auckland to boost the depth.
Crichton, who lives in Papakura, though his work as a forklift driver takes him to Manurewa,
first played premiers for the club back in 2011, when Papakura won the Sid Marshall Shield
for the second division title and in the centennial season of 2012.
Crichton then moved north to East Tamaki, where he made quite an impression, twice (in
2015 and 2017) winning the Alan Tohill Memorial Trophy for the most tries by a forward in
Auckland premier club rugby. Last season he scored no less than 10 tries for East Tamaki,
proving he knows his way across the whitewash. Then followed a campaign with the
Auckland Bs, who won the Coronation Shield.
“He’s a big athlete. We are looking to his ball-running skills and also what he can do for us
on defence, which was an area of concern for us in the last few years. We need to tighten up
there. But he’s also got leadership skills and will be able to offer assistance in this area,” says
Papakura premier coach and former Steelers lock Gavin Giles.
“Anytime a player comes back to a club after being away is a good time for a club. It means
you are doing something right.”
For his part, Crichton is keen to help lift the team.
“It’s good to be back. I’m just trying to help get the club back to where it was before,” he
says. He knows good results will not come overnight, but will take some time.
“It’s just about getting the boys together and having a good season.”
Early indications, judging by the good numbers at training at South Park, are that Papakura,
as a club, will have a better season. It is full speed ahead to the opening pre-season fixture on
February 16 against Papatoetoe at South Park, while February 24 sees a three-way clash with
Silverdale and Bombay. The competition proper kicks off on March 10, with Papakura one of
10 clubs in the top tier of Counties Manukau club rugby.
“It could be a moving year. We’ve had two years of trying to get structures back in place.
Some of those games that just got away from us last year we might be able to get across the
line this year,” says Giles.