Super League play-offs: Brodie Croft given a new lease of life by move to Salford Red Devils

Brodie Croft left the NRL seeking to revitalise his career. Now, 12 months on from the final appearance of a tough two-year spell at Brisbane Broncos, the 25-year-old has found himself named in the 2022 Betfred Super League Dream Team.

It is recognition of the impact Croft has made on this side of the world since linking up with Salford Red Devils ahead of the current season, immediately striking up a formidable half-back partnership with fellow off-season recruit Marc Sneyd.

The Queenslander has particularly caught the eye with his dynamic attacking play and scintillating running with the ball in hand too, contributing significantly to the Red Devils securing a place in the play-offs for the first time since that memorable run to a maiden Grand Final appearance three years ago.

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Being given that licence to play and express himself by Paul Rowley has suited Croft down to the ground, and he credits the faith shown in him by the Salford head coach and his staff as a big driver behind quickly adapting to life in Super League.

"I think it has really opened up my game and given me the freedom to play," Croft said. "The coaches have had a lot of belief in me from day one here - probably more belief in me than I had in myself.

"That's helped me grow as a player and the journey we've come on this season and the group of boys we have, we train so hard on the training paddock to put into place what you see on the weekend.

"You might think we're just throwing the ball around on the weekend, but a lot of hard work has gone into that.

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"It's a real joy to have that freedom to play with your eyes up and just play what is in front of you. Then we've had some real sturdy defence to back it up if we do have errors in our game and go again."

Croft is one of three Salford players chosen in this year's Dream Team along with centre and fellow first-time selection Tim Lafai and winger Ken Sio, whose 26 regular-season tries helped propel the club to a top-six finish.

The Melbourne Storm product is not the only player enjoying a new lease of life at the AJ Bell Stadium this year either. Sneyd, in his second spell with his home-city club, is in some of the best form of his life and full-back Ryan Brierley has proven an invaluable component of the spine of the team.

Rowley, in his first year in charge, is delighted to see a trio of Red Devils voted into the Dream Team and says the way the team has defied the naysayers who expected them to be battling relegation this year is down to the work done behind the scenes.

"All of it is down to the culture," Rowley said. "We have an idea as staff how we want our culture to look, but I think it's always the players who drive that.

"We've been very fortunate with the personnel we've got. We've got three boys in the Dream Team, which is a great representation from our team, and I know all of their team-mates will be really proud of those three guys.

"They're a good group, been easy to manage and there has been a lot of empowerment. We've built whatever we've got together."

A 50-10 win over Castleford Tigers on the August Bank Holiday Monday proved enough to secure Salford's play-off spot with a round of the regular season to spare and they now face a reunion with a familiar face in the second Eliminator on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

Ian Watson, the man who oversaw the Red Devils' run to Old Trafford in 2019, is now trying to guide Huddersfield Giants to a first league title since 1962 in a year which has already seen them reach the Betfred Challenge Cup final before ultimately being edged out 16-14 by Wigan Warriors.

The most recent meeting between the sides in August ended in a 33-16 win for Salford, though, and came during a run of nine wins in 11 matches which secured their play-off berth, something Croft saw as a sign of a team which has hit its stride.

"We're absolutely buzzing about it," Croft said. "We've always had the belief in this group we're capable of what we're doing.

"We just had to find our DNA, our identity of how we wanted to play, and I really feel we've found that in the last few months. We're continually growing and building on that.

"As that's gone on, the confidence has grown within the group, and we know we're capable of some big things."

Watch Huddersfield Giants face Salford Red Devils for a place in the Super League play-off semi-finals on Saturday, September 10, live on Sky Sports Arena from 12.30pm (1pm kick-off).