Craig Wing

Exciting Souths junior made his mark at a difficult time in the club’s history. When Souths was excluded from the 2000 NRL competition, Wing was keenly courted by rival clubs (and rival codes) before deciding to play with the Roosters. The move was not an immediate success, with coach Graham Murray relegating him to First Division early in the season, but Wing returned to the interchange bench to make his presence felt in the club’s grand final loss to Brisbane. Wing’s tight passing game, his speed around the rucks and ability to back up anywhere on the park made him a valued impact player with the Roosters but it was not until 2002 that he was able to finally secure the top halfback position. After playing in the club’s 30-8 win over the Warriors, he made his Test debut against NZ in October from the interchange bench. In 2003 he shifted to hooker after the arrival of Canberra halfback Brett Finch and made his State of Origin debut as an interchange player. His good form from the bench even led to the resting of NSW and Australia Test captain Danny Buderus during vital stages of rep matches in 2003-04.