The Young product played junior representative footy with the Sydney Roosters before linking with South Sydney, where he made his NRL debut, but this week marked his official return to where it all began in the big smoke when he clocked on for pre-season training at Bondi.

The NSW Blues backrower is in the midst of his recovery from shoulder surgery and won’t start full contact until the new year, but that hasn’t dented his Roosters homecoming.

“I’m absolutely loving my time back in red, white and blue and getting to know all the new faces … really loving it,” Crichton said.

The 22-year-old spent the off-season feeding his travel bug, visiting Arnhem Land, Bali and the United States after finishing up his time as a Rabbitoh.

“Footy is always pretty intense and don’t get much of a chance to get away,” he said.

“You’ve got to make the most of the break, but I’m ready to rip in.”

As a player that went virtually from schoolboy to NRL gun, Crichton says he plans on helping out the Roosters juniors coming through the grades as they attempt to adapt to the rigors of full-time footy.

“I’ve been through the struggles … and anything I can do to make the squad stronger I’m more than happy to do,” he added.

He’s confident the defending premiers are again destined for a successful season next season.

“Success as a team, success as a club, this group we have here is bound for success and it’s in our hands to train hard, trust our coaches and work as a team and if we do that we’ll put ourselves in a good position for success in 2019.”