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

Kangaroos forward Angus Crichton is ready to turn CommBank Stadium into his own Coliseum as the team looks to avenge last year’s shock Pacific Championship final defeat.

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

The meeting sets the stage for Sunday’s Pacific Championship final, which will see the Kangaroos take on Tonga, who earned their place by thrashing the Kiwis 25-24 in Auckland.

A sea of ​​red is likely to hit Parramatta during the match, turning CommBank Stadium into an amphitheater of intense atmosphere and emotion.

It’s an environment Crichton is prepared for and he’s confident the Kangaroos will thrive on a Coliseum-like atmosphere.

“It’s not nice to bring (Mezcal and Hechinger) here to the SCG,” Crichton told NRL.com. “It was the home of the Roosters for a couple of seasons while they were building the Allianz Stadium, so I got to know the area quite well.

“There were a lot of special events here – the grand final, the State of Origins, the Anzac Day battles. It’s impossible to have a full house here at the SCG, so showing them one of our Coliseums was a lot of fun.

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

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

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

Crowe played a prominent role in the NRL’s promotion to Las Vegas this year, with both the Roosters and Rabbitohs playing in a doubleheader at Allegant Stadium.

The 2025 season opener will expand with British Super League clubs Wigan and Warrington taking on each other and the Jillaroos taking on the England Women’s team along with two NRL games.

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

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

“It was great to come to Vegas and show our product. Everyone worked so hard to get us there and it was a huge success. It was a lot of fun and such a great experience for us players.”

“I’m looking forward to the next teams that come to enjoy it, experience it and put on a good show.”

The Jillaraos are determined to make the most of their growing platform to help grow women’s rugby league at all levels domestically and internationally.

The US market has become a key area of ​​focus as it has a large talent pool but few opportunities for female athletes to pursue professional sports careers.

As women’s sport flourishes around the world, Apps believes rugby league is not being left behind and the sport is making the most of the current wave of development.

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

“Hopefully we’ve just gained two new fans who will then go on to watch rugby league and talk about it and tell their friends. That’s how you spread love.”

“The more people who follow the game the better, so it’s about broadening everyone else’s horizons and hopefully they’ll learn to love rugby league as much as we do.”

“The NFL is very popular in the US and if we can get them to watch rugby league and see how violent our sport can be, we hope they will fall in love with it and continue to follow it.”