Thirroul Butchers' Hayden Crosland | September 2, 2023 | Illawarra Mercury
The Illawarra Mercury's Mitch Jennings chats with Thirroul skipper Hayden Crosland following the Butchers 2023 grand final win over Collegians. Footage: BarTV Sports.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 [APPLAUSE]
00:20 [MUSIC]
00:47 >> Here with now, the rule, premiership winning captain, Hayden Cross and Crozzo.
00:53 How does that sentence sound to you?
00:55 What does it feel like?
00:56 >> It hasn't sunk in yet, really, but no, it's amazing, mate.
01:00 Honestly, lost for words, haven't even hit me yet, so.
01:03 >> [LAUGH] >> It's unreal, it's the best.
01:06 >> Mate, you just came out and obviously you knew that they'd been here,
01:10 done it before, they'd got over the line in so many grand finals.
01:13 You were gonna have to throw the last, the first punch and the last one.
01:16 Talk me through how the game felt for you, particularly that second half,
01:19 because it just felt like you were twisting the knife and you felt you were on top.
01:23 >> Yeah, we still felt pretty comfortable, I think, that second half.
01:26 But the older players, the senior players stepped up like Boyle and
01:31 Haz on that left edge.
01:32 And they really brought it home and just effort, it was absolute.
01:36 It was just a performance built on effort back there.
01:39 There's heaps of tries, probably more try savers than tries, and
01:42 that's what it was all about.
01:44 >> Mate, I looked this and I've seen some of the guys that have come down here,
01:46 they're in the gear, they've come and
01:47 congratulated you, that have played alongside you in those years and
01:50 haven't got a premiership.
01:51 They were in those great through all sides that went out the back door and
01:53 did everything else.
01:54 You're the lone survivor from that 2018 grand final.
01:58 Does it really hit home about how special it is when you see guys like,
02:01 I saw John O walking around before, guys come over and they congratulate you.
02:04 It's so hard to do and you've been there all the way through it and
02:08 you've climbed this mountain.
02:09 I mean, does that hit home for you in this moment?
02:11 >> Yeah, it definitely does.
02:12 I mean, we spoke about it all during the week,
02:14 what it feels like to lose, really.
02:16 And we didn't wanna have that feeling at all, but it really hits home and
02:20 really makes you feel proud of yourself and everyone should be really proud.
02:24 But having all these legends at the club, blokes that have won,
02:27 blokes that have lost, come and congratulate.
02:29 Yeah, that's what it's all about and that's what we love to do at a butcher.
02:31 >> It's not bad for a team that was scratching and clawing and
02:34 look what they might be.
02:35 They might be beholden to another fairy tale of another club from there to now.
02:40 I mean, it's a remarkable rise.
02:41 I know you guys always had that belief, but it's remarkable nonetheless to go from
02:45 scraping into fourth spot, more losses than wins, to the ultimate prize.
02:48 It's a fairy tale run.
02:49 >> Yeah, I mean, honestly, we feel like a different team than we were a month ago.
02:53 It's kinda, yeah, it's weird.
02:57 Like a month ago, we were sort of down on confidence, but a few good wins on the
03:02 trot get some players back and their confidence just skyrocketed and
03:06 that's what this whole performance is built on.
03:09 >> 24, are we having a beer for every point?
03:12 >> Yeah, 100%, few more than that.
03:14 Another 10 beers for every point, I think.
03:16 >> Aiden Crosland, the Royal Premiership winning skipper.
03:18 Go enjoy it, mate.
03:19 >> Cheers, thanks, Mitch.
03:19 >> Thank you.
03:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]