Crichton to fill gap left by Jake

LOYALTY has paved the way for Sydney Roosters forward Angus Crichton to return to the State of Origin arena despite missing 11 tackles in his past two matches.

Crichton will be backed by the NSW Blues’ hierarchy to correct his defensive dip when he is named in the Blues’ Origin II squad to face Queensland next Sunday.

Brad Fittler’s NSW side is aiming to reclaim the prized Origin shield by beating the Maroons at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

Crichton’s eighth NSW jumper is a timely fix for Fittler, who has lost first-choice lock-forward Jake Trbojevic for game 2 with a hip injury.

Manly’s inspirational leader will miss the next two weeks, including Sunday’s clash with the Gold Coast, according to Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler.

“Jake unfortunately at training has had a mishap and will miss two weeks of footy,” Hasler said.

“He should be right after next week and be ready for Origin III.”