SMH....
Steve Roach blasts Sydney Roosters for insulting silence on Mitchell Pearce's future
I'm personally friends with him," Roach said. "I don't think Cooper could teach Mitchell anything to tell you the honest truth. I'd be a bit taken aback if I was him. He's run the Roosters for 10 years, won a comp.
"I don't know, mate, I'd be a little bit dark. I think it's a big kick in the guts. What it's saying is he can't get the job done. I don't agree with it."
Roosters officials reportedly have not been in contact with Pearce about the potential acquisition of Cronk, another issue that does not sit well with Balmain legend Roach, who has maintained a close relationship with the halfback, particularly in his role on the NSW State of Origin staff..
"That's one thing our game is missing at the moment is people being upfront," he said.
"If they were going to go down that track they should have had the decency to ring them and say, 'This is what we're thinking of doing'. They're 10-year players there. It's not everyday you get 10-year players."
Whatever the case, Roach is not fully convinced that Cronk, preparing for life without Cameron Smith and Billy Slater alongside him, will automatically deliver the Roosters the title they crave.
"Cooper Cronk is a great player, there is no doubt about that," he said. "But he hasn't tried to see how he goes without those other two blokes."