18 Oct 2023

Meet…Brodie Croft

Factfile

Name: Brodie Croft

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Dalby, Queensland

Clubs played for: Eastern Suburbs Tigers (2016-2018), Melbourne Storm (2017-2019), Brisbane Broncos (2020-2021), Wynnum-Manly Seagulls (2021), Salford Red Devils (2022-2023)

International Honours: Junior Kangaroos (2019), Combined Nations All Stars (2022)

Position: Stand Off, Scrum Half

NRL Debut: Vs St George Illawarra Dragons (A) 18^th June 2016

Super League Debut: Vs Castleford Tigers (A) 11^th February 2022

Career so Far: NRL

- Croft rose through the ranks at Easts Tigers in the Intrust Super Cup and also featured for Queensland’s junior representative side before making his NRL debut for the Storm at 18-years old.

- In his first game for the Storm, he started in the halves alongside Tohu Harris and came up with an assist for Suliasi Vunivalu in a 20-10 defeat to St George Illawarra Dragons in round 15.

- Over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he featured in both the NRL for Melbourne and the Intrust Cup for Easts. His four appearances during the Storm’s 2017 Grand Final winning campaign saw the half back score four tries, including a hat trick against Newcastle in round 24, and his game-winning drop goal in a 23-22 result against the Cowboys was a highlight of the season.

- 2018 was one of the biggest seasons in Croft’s career as he featured in both the World Club Challenge and NRL Grand Final. Starting the year as a try scorer against the Rhinos in the World Club, he played 12 times including all three of Melbourne’s Finals games against South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks and Sydney Roosters in the Final.

- He won the battle for the number seven shirt for the 2019 season and ran out in all but two games for the Storm as they secured their fourth minor premiership with 20 wins and four losses. During that time, Croft scored five tries and kicked another game-winning field goal against the Warriors in round seven.

- 2017 and 2019 also saw Croft earn the chance to represent the star-studded Junior Kangaroos, in particular captaining the side in the 2017 win over the Junior Kiwis. He played alongside Kalyn Ponga, Jai Field, Cameron Murray, David Fifita and Ryan Papenhuyzen to name a few during his two representative appearances.

- For 2020, he announced his move back north to Queensland where he linked up with Brisbane Broncos on a three-year deal. Adding to the young talent coming through at the club, a tough campaign saw the Broncos finish bottom of the league table; Croft playing 14 times and scoring one try.

- Croft’s most recent NRL season in 2021 saw the Broncos finish lower down the table again (14^th) as the half back featured 12 times. He also played one game for Brisbane’s feeder club, Wynnum-Manly Seagulls, in a 50-0 win over Central Queensland.

Career so Far: Super League

- At 24 years old, Croft made the move to Super League when he signed with Salford Red Devils ahead of the 2022 season. He became an instant hit under Paul Rowley as he featured in every league game and the eliminator, which Salford lost to Huddersfield. Statistically, he finished the year as the competition’s third-highest in clean breaks and ball carries.

- The half back’s performances in 2022 earned him the Steve Prescott Man of Steel honour too, as he beat Jai Field and Jack Welsby to win the award. Croft also collected the Albert Goldthorpe Medal, was included in the Dream Team alongside team mates Ken Sio and Tim Lafai, and won Salford’s Coaches Player, the Players’ Player and the Supporters Player of the Year awards.

- Last year, he only missed two games in the middle of the season as Salford competed again for a Play-Off berth. Out of his five tries, his score against Leigh Leopards in Rivals Round proved an important one in a close 22-20 encounter.

- In total, he scored 12 tries in 55 appearances for the Red Devils.