Leeds Rhinos' Brodie Croft explains why he left Salford Red Devils, predicts tough Super League opener

The 2022 Man of Steel joined Rhinos for a significant six-figure sum last October, eight months after signing a new deal intended to keep him at Salford Red Devils until 2030. It was one of the big off-season stories and the fixture planners capitalised by pairing the teams together in Betfred Super League round one, at AMT this Friday.

Since day one Croft has insisted it was a case of joining Leeds for positive reasons rather than actively wanting to leave Salford. Reflecting on the move, the Australian stand-off recalled: “It didn’t happen overnight and there were days when I was thinking I’d stay at Salford, then the next day I’d wake up and think [I’ll go to] Leeds. When it came to it I felt the pros of coming to Leeds outweighed the cons of staying at Salford. I made the decision for my family and my career and it’s exciting what we can do here with this squad.”

Explaining what swung the deal Rhinos’ way, the 26-year-old said: “I was quite settled at Salford, I had just bought a house in Worsley and I loved the playing group and the coaches there. The prospect of leaving was a bit daunting and I didn’t know what to think of it at the time.

“There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and writing down the pros and cons of both Salford and Leeds. A lot of thought went into it, it didn’t happen overnight, that’s for sure, but at the end of the day I made the best decision I felt at the time for my family, myself and my career. And it really excited me, the prospect of this Leeds squad and the capabilities I am looking forward to hopefully fulfilling.”

Leeds’ past Super League history, with eight Grand Final wins to their name, also worked in their favour. Croft confessed: “I am a bit of a rugby league nerd so I knew all about it. We watched the Super League games when I was a kid and when I was a kid Leeds were the team that were winning everything.

“That was another part of this decision, the success Leeds have had and the chance to play for a club like Leeds. It is such a privilege to even be mentioned, I have got to pinch myself sometimes. To get a chance to play for Leeds is pretty special. It is really exciting to be able to pull on a Leeds jersey and I can’t wait for the season to come around and see what we can do.”

Salford have lost a number of key players over the off-season, including hooker Andy Ackers who signed for Rhinos on the same day as Croft. The stand-off admitted he feels for his old club and fans, but there’ll be no divided loyalties this week. “I’ve got a good relationship with the boys and Rowls [coach Paul Rowley] so it was an extremely tough decision to leave, because of the people there,” he added. “I loved playing with that group and the coaches there.

“When I see all the stuff coming out about players leaving, it does hurt a bit, but in the same breath we are on to Leeds now and that’s where my mindset’s at. I am still good mates with all the people there and have good relationships with them and can’t wait to catch up with them after the game. But for the 80 minutes, I am sure we’ll be trying to rip each other’s heads off.”

Ackers is also set to make his competitive Leeds debut on Friday and Croft reckons the joint move made it easier to settle in. He said: “I love playing with Ackers, he’s a great bloke to be around and to [share] car rides with and a great bloke to play with. When he got mentioned about possibly coming here that really excited me as well. It was part of the decision, knowing I’m not coming here on my own. I’ve got a dummy-half that I trust and love playing with. We are talking on the car rides in every day about what we could do.”

By coincidence, Croft’s first competitive game for Leeds will come six years to the day after he played against them for Melbourne Storm in the World Club Challenge. Croft was among the try scorers when Storm won 38-4 against an injury-ravaged Rhinos side and has “fond memories” of that game in 2018. He recalled: “I really enjoyed that night. It was a really good match to be a part of.

“I remember Leeds scoring first and we knew it was going to be tight, but I was fortunate to play with some really special players at Melbourne who can do some special things on the footy field. I came through at a really good time at Melbourne and was blessed to be a part of that match. It’s ironic how things turn out and I have a chance to play for Leeds now.”