The Canterbury Bulldogs are on the cusp of qualifying for the NRL finals, but the biggest win of skipper Stephen Crichton’s life has nothing to do with ladder positions or try counts. Just 12 hours before Crichton crossed the line to score the opening try in the Bulldogs’ win over the New Zealand Warriors, the star five-eighth welcomed his first child, a baby girl named Praise, with his partner Leone.
The extraordinary 24 hours began at 4 a.m. on Friday, when Crichton received a late-night call from Leone, who had been staying with family in Penrith while he prepared for the weekend match. He immediately dropped his pre-game preparations and made a frantic dash across Sydney to be at the hospital for the birth. After a full day of labor, Leone delivered the couple’s daughter at 9:30 p.m. that night, leaving Crichton exhausted but elated.
Despite getting barely any sleep and juggling the emotional whirlwind of new parenthood, Crichton suited up for the match the very next day. Leone encouraged him to honor his team commitment, a choice that Crichton said gave him an extra boost of focus on the field.
“It’s been a massive 24 hours for me, just being there for wifey and seeing what she goes through. It was a massive motivation for me to come and get strapped up,” Crichton told reporters after the match. “The moment she told me that I could go and play, it was just like no matter how tired I was today or how sore I was, it wasn’t as bad as what she was going through. So massive motivation there. But to hold the baby last night was the biggest blessing and probably the biggest thing in life right now.”
When Crichton scored the game’s opening try, he marked the moment with a quiet, viral “rock the baby” celebration, a public tribute to his new daughter and partner. The 24-year-old, who already has many nieces and nephews, said the reality of fatherhood only sunk in when he held his daughter for the first time.
“Not really (it hadn’t hit me that I’m a dad) until probably just last night holding her. I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews – she’s going to be the tenth grandchild for mum and dad,” he explained. “I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews, but obviously it hits different because she’s mine. She’s going to be a little princess for the rest of my life, and I’ll be protecting her. It has hit me now, but the most important thing while I was on the field was just doing my job for the boys and getting that win. Now, going back and seeing her is going to be really special.”
Crichton even joked that he has already ruled out a future NRLW career for his newborn daughter, citing the intense pressure of public attention that comes with top-flight rugby league. Regardless of her future path, the match against the Warriors will always hold a special place in the family’s history as the day Crichton celebrated their new arrival in front of thousands of fans.
Bulldogs head coach Cameron Ciraldo has heaped praise on his captain, whose performance in the five-eighth position has silenced early critics after his switch from the centre role one month prior. “He looks pretty good as a five-eighth,” Ciraldo said. “Especially one that didn’t sleep so I’m very proud of him.”
The win keeps the Bulldogs on track for a finals spot, with the club and its fans already celebrating both on-field and off-field success this season.