Cooper Cronk on NRL Origin selections, Craig Bellamy’s greatness & the mindset it takes to be the best in the world
5/18/20261 hr 22 min
Cooper Cronk is one of rugby league's most cerebral players and a three-time premiership winner who transformed from a modest rugby union schoolboy into one of the game's greatest halfbacks.
In this conversation, Cronk reveals the mental frameworks that drove his success, from Craig Bellamy's obsession with fundamentals at Melbourne Storm to his legendary 2018 grand final performance with a broken scapula. He discusses the coffee test that Bellamy uses for recruitment, how the spine positions require high football IQ, and why great players have time others don't. Cronk also opens up about his worst career moment in the 2016 grand final and how it taught him the lesson that secured his next three premierships.
• Craig Bellamy's leadership philosophy and the coffee test for recruitment
• Playing the 2018 grand final with a broken shoulder blade
• The 2016 grand final disaster that changed his entire approach
• Why Melbourne Storm's spine trio dominated for over a decade
• Cameron Smith's unparalleled football intelligence
• The fundamentals that separate elite performers from the rest
• His transition into financial services and property investment
Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/
Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clips
Showing 10 of 15Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMark Bouris· Host0:00
Cooper Cronk, welcome to Straight Talk, mate Mr.
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:01
Boris, thank you for having me.
Mark Bouris· Host0:03
[laughs] [laughs] That's not a good start, mate.
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:06
Yes, it is.
Mark Bouris· Host0:06
It's all we, we can be, we can play The Apprentice if you want to.
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:09
We can.
Mark Bouris· Host0:09
No, it's really good to see you, mate.
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:10
No, thanks for having me, mate. Well done on everything you've created, too, so, um, you know, hopefully the audience gets something out of it.
Mark Bouris· Host0:15
Thanks, mate. So how, well you've just come back from, um, Magic. How was it, Magic Round?
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:19
It is, um, you gotta give credit to the game. Like, it is the epicenter of rugby league for a few days. Um, you know, whether you support, you know, the Tigers or the Brisbane Broncos, you actually get to go to one place, one town, and support your team. So, uh, Suncorp is rocking for three days. Um, the weather didn't, uh, play its part, but I tell you what, I think every fan had a good time, and sometimes players really put their name up in lights in the big s- in the big stage. So it's become a pretty big, uh, big event on the calendar, actually.
Mark Bouris· Host0:49
Uh, if I could just go back a bit. So y- you're obviously a Queenslander.
Cooper Cronk· Guest0:53
Yeah.
Mark Bouris· Host0:53
Um, you play for Queensland. Um, but that's not really where you started. Um, let's go right back to a young Cooper Cronk.
Cooper Cronk· Guest1:01
Oh. [laughs] To the back, back in the day?
Mark Bouris· Host1:03
Yeah, back in the day.
Cooper Cronk· Guest1:04
Yeah, well, I am a Queenslander through and through. I was born in Queensland. Uh, the Cronk side of my family- That's Dad ... grew up in, yeah, yeah, um, Dad's family grew up in Evans Street, Bronte. And- So there's a, just be clear, that's Roosters territory ... that is dead set Roosters territory. So Dad played lower grades at Bondi United. My uncle, um, he was sort of a, um, Bondi board rider, he was a big wave surfer.