Former Brisbane and Canberra player Mitch Cronin tragically passes away, aged 27

Drew Darbyshire 18 Apr 2020 11:59 AM

Former Brisbane and Canberra hooker Mitch Cronin has sadly died at the age of 27.

The Australian spent time with the Broncos and Raiders and although he didn’t make an NRL appearance, he played in the NRL Nines in Auckland for each club.

Cronin captained Wynnum-Manly Seagulls to the Intrust Super Cup Grand Final last year, and hadn’t given up on his NRL dream.

His manager Paul Hogan confirmed the news to The Courier Mail on Saturday, saying Cronin was found in his parents’ backyard pool in Brisbane on Friday after suffering a suspected heart attack following a weights training session.

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@mitchcronin man I still don’t want to believe it! You got me through some of the toughest times of my life! I love you my brother, Fly high u absolute legend love u forever brother! Okioki teina ❤️❤️❤️❤️ QUEENSLANDER!!!

A post shared by Jordan Rapana (@jordoboorr) on Apr 17, 2020 at 4:21am PDT

Wynnum-Manly Seagulls chief executive, Hanan Laban, said: “We are devastated by the passing of our captain Mitch Cronin and we send out love to Chris, Andrea, Ben, Amy and the Cronin family.

“Mitch was an exceptional young man who was loved and respected by his team-mates, his coaching staff, our supporters and the wider rugby league community.

“From the moment he arrived at Wynnum he embodied the values of the Seagulls through his positive attitude, strong work ethic, and deep care for his team-mates and his club.

“He was a fantastic leader who was genuine, caring and selfless with his actions.

“Mitch was a quiet achiever with a humble nature, who did not need to say too much to be held with enormous respect by his peers.

“He was fearless on the field, yet kind and modest off it – Mitch is forever in our hearts.”

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We are devastated by the passing of our captain Mitch Cronin and we send out love to Chris, Andrea, Ben, Amy and the Cronin family. Mitch was an exceptional young man who was loved and respected by his teammates, his coaching staff, our supporters and the wider rugby league community. From the moment he arrived at Wynnum he embodied the values of the Seagulls through his positive attitude, strong work ethic, and deep care for his teammates and his club. He was a fantastic leader who was genuine, caring and selfless with his actions. Mitch was a quiet achiever with a humble nature, who did not need to say too much to be held with enormous respect by his peers. He was fearless on the field, yet kind and modest off it – Mitch is forever in our hearts.

A post shared by Wynnum Manly Seagulls Official (@wynnummanlyseagulls) on Apr 17, 2020 at 5:55pm PDT

Still can’t believe it man 😔😔😔 rest in love my brother 💚💚💚 https://t.co/UecTT2QSL5

— Michael Chee Kam (@chee_kam) April 18, 2020

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