NRL 2024, Pacific Championships, Gladiators, Crichton, Kezie Apps, Paul Mescal, Fred Hechinger

Kangaroos striker Angus Crichton is ready to turn CommBank Stadium into his own Colosseum as the side look to avenge last year’s shock final defeat of the Pacific Championships.

Crichton and Jillaroos co-captain Kezie Apps met the stars of the Gladiators II on Friday, while Paul Mescal and Fred Hechinger headed to the SCG to try their hand at rugby league.

The encounter set the stage for Sunday’s Pacific Championships final, with the Kangaroos taking on Tonga, who earned their spot by upsetting the Kiwis 25-24 in Auckland.

A sea of ​​red is likely to descend on Parramatta for the match, turning CommBank Stadium into an amphitheater full of intense atmosphere and emotion.

It’s a setting Crichton is ready for and he’s confident the Kangaroos will feed off the Colosseum-like setting.

“It’s sick to bring (Mescal and Hechinger) here to the SCG,” Crichton told NRL.com. “It was (the Roosters) home for a few seasons while they were building Allianz Stadium, so I got to know the ground quite well.

“There have been a lot of special events here: grand finals, State of Origins, Anzac Day clashes. It’s surreal to see a full house here at the SCG, so it was really nice to show them one of our Coliseums.

“CommBank Stadium will be our Coliseum next week. It’s been a long year, so finishing it off with a win with the Kangaroos and winning the (Pacific Championships) Cup would be the icing on the cake. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure we get it done.”

Rugby League’s ties with the Gladiator franchise run deep, with South Sydney owner Russell Crowe achieving worldwide fame and winning an Oscar for his performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius in the original film.

Crichton spent three years with the Rabbitohs before joining the Roosters in 2019 and saw the actor use his reach to connect with new fans around the world.

Crowe played a prominent role in the NRL’s push to Las Vegas this year, with both the Roosters and Rabbitohs playing in a double-header at Allegiant Stadium.

The season opener will be extended in 2025, with British Super League clubs Wigan and Warrington going head-to-head and the Jillaroos playing the England women’s team in addition to two NRL matches.

Crichton said the sport could learn a lot from Crowe in promoting rugby league to the American public and he is keen to see the NRL build on the platform set in Vegas this year.

“Russell is a character and such a big name,” he said. “Anyone who has met him knows he has that charisma. He’s a showman with the way he talks and acts and it’s great to have him as a fan of our game.

“It was cool to go to Vegas and show off our product. Everyone worked so hard to get us there and it was a huge success. For us players, it was so much fun and such a cool experience.

“I look forward to the next teams crossing the border to enjoy it, experience it and put on a good show.”

The Jillaroos are determined to make the most of their growing platform to expand women’s rugby competition at all levels at home and abroad.

The US market has emerged as a key area of ​​focus, with a large talent pool but few opportunities for female athletes to pursue a professional sports career.

With women’s sport booming around the world, Apps says it is important that rugby league does not lag behind and that the sport takes full advantage of the current wave of momentum.

“It’s really important to build those relationships and connections,” Apps told NRL.com. ‘That’s how you grow the game.

“Hopefully we’ve just got two new fans who will then watch the rugby league, talk about it and tell their friends. This is how you spread the love.

“The more eyes on the game the better, so it’s about broadening everyone else’s perspective and hopefully they will learn to love rugby league as much as we do.

“The NFL is huge in the US. If we can get them to watch rugby league and see how brutal our sport can be, hopefully they will fall in love with it and continue to follow it.”