BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Warrington Wolves forward Jordan Crowther has revealed how his daughter’s rare birth defect has affected him and how her courage is inspiring him in the club’s charge to the grand final.
Jordan Crowther has been one of Warrington’s best this season.
Either off the bench or starting in the pack, the loose forward has provided energy and impact as the Wolves reached Wembley and clinched third spot in Super League. Now they face St Helens in the semi-finals, as they look to secure a place at Old Trafford.
But for the past year and a half the 27-year-old and his family have been dealing with a serious personal health battle for their baby daughter Frankie.
It all started in early 2023 when his partner Beth fell pregnant with Frankie, while Crowther was still with Wakefield.
“We found out that Frankie had a condition called bladder exstrophy, it’s a one in only 40,000 condition, so it’s really rare. We didn’t know anything about it. We found out on the 20-week scan, it’s basically where the bladder forms on the outside of the stomach,” he explains to rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“It sort of knocked us for six. We didn’t know what to do and the doctor at the time was talking about termination and all that stuff, and it sort of rattled me a bit.
“I didn’t fall out of love with the game but I probably lost focus with it. I spoke to Mark Applegarth at the time, he was the Wakefield coach, and I had signed for Castleford for the year after as Wakefield hadn’t offered me anything at the time.
“So I signed at Cas and then I knew I needed to get out there. I just needed a bit of a freshen-up and a bit of a change because it was quite a big impact on my life.
“Coming to Warrington has been massive. Gary Chambers and Sam have really helped me with everything. Frankie had to have an operation when she was nine months old, it was an 11-hour operation to put a bladder back inside to fuse her pelvis.
“Her pelvis wasn’t fused as part of it, so they had to fuse all that.”
In April Frankie underwent major surgery in Manchester and then spent more than a month in hospital recovering.
“We were in hospital for four and a half weeks, and she had to completely lie flat for three and a half weeks of that. So we couldn’t even pick her up, which was probably the hardest part for me.
“But she’s actually on the mend. She’s finally started crawling and moving about, and she’s constantly grabbing for stuff. And, you know, she makes me so proud. So I just want to make her proud by hopefully having a good crack at it this year.
“The NHS has been really good with us. She’s probably a bit a bit behind in terms of wherever kids are her age. But you know, she’s coming on leaps and bounds. Seeing her little face, how happy she’s now she’s moving about is, is lovely.”
Thankfully Frankie is recovering and last month celebrated her first birthday. Crowther hails the support of his partner Beth, and Warrington coach Sam Burgess, during this difficult period.
“Beth’s been so good with me,” he says.
“Obviously we’d stay in the hospital. So most nights she’d stay in the hospital and I’d be in a hotel nearby before games and the day before training. So I could sort of take my mind off it for a bit and focus on, try and focus on other things.
“And Sam’s been really good. He gives me quite a lot of time off as well, in and around this season to sort of work around obviously Frankie being in hospital.”
Crowther says the experience has given him a new perspective on life and his challenges as a professional rugby league player.
“From everything Frankie’s gone through, it sort of makes me want to do it for her,” he says.
“When we were in the Manchester Children’s Hospital for four and a half weeks, and there’s some kids in there who’ve never been outside. They were born and stuck straight in the hospital. And, you know they’ve obviously got nurses there and they’re just watching a TV screen every day.
“So it puts things in perspective and there’s me whinging about a sore ankle or a shoulder after a game. Some kids in the hospital have really got it tough. It’s a real eye-opener and you really feel grateful for what we’ve got.”
A Wakefield lad born and bred, Crowther came through the Trinity system and debuted in Super League back in 2014.
The back-rower says he came to Warrington with the ambition of winning trophies and is enjoying his time in primrose yellow and blue.
“When you’re winning that makes it more enjoyable. But I think it’s probably taken me a few weeks to sort of figure out my role, and what it is in the team, and feel like I’ve sort of grasped that with both hands now.
“I know what’s expected of me when I get on the field, and I know what Sam wants me to do. I like all the hard work and the hard graft side of things.
“I wanted to come to Warrington to sort of win something, and to play in the big games. I had a bit of a taste of it last year when I first came, we played Saints in the semi-final last year.
“That wasn’t meant to be that one. I also had a taste of that at Wembley game as well. But I feel like we’re ready now more than ever for these big games now.”
The Wolves have been a changed outfit in 2024 under new boss Burgess.
“It’s like a completely different side,” Crowther confirms.
“Sam’s brought in a different culture and really brought us together as a tighter group, and I think that’s showed with some of his performances this year.
“He’s probably not changed a lot of things but just made little small, small tweaks that have added up together. One thing we do is something called ‘ikigai’, which is the Japanese word for purpose, and what your purpose is, and why you do what you do.
“Everyone’s getting up and speaking about their family and why they do what they do, and obviously, traumas and upsets that they’ve had in their life and what they’re going through. It’s really brought us together more than ever.
“We’re all opening up to each other, and I think that’s probably been the biggest part of what Sam’s brought in. I feel like we all understand why we would need to win this grand final this year.”
St Helens stand between Warrington and a preliminary final. If they can beat Saints, a huge match away at Hull KR awaits next weekend.
Crowther is getting ready for one of the biggest games of his life, ready to make his beautiful daughter proud.
“St Helens are physical team aren’t they. We lost to them last year and we definitely don’t want to relive that.
“That was probably one of the best games I’ve been in, just the atmosphere, it was packed behind the sticks. It’s a massive derby in the game. We’ve beaten them three times this year so they’ll be looking to come and get us, and I’m sure they’ll be hurt over us doing that.
“We’re more than ready, and it’s always going to be a physical game. And they’ve got a few players back now and come in got some form, so it’ll be a tough one.”
