New Leeds Rhinos recruit Brodie Croft has reportedly ensured he has a way back to the NRL for him if clubs continue to express interest.
Croft left the NRL from the Brisbane Broncos at the end of the 2021 season and has become a revelation in the English Super League.
While his NRL form prior to his departure had left plenty to be desired, his first season at the Salford Red Devils during 2022 saw him take out the Man of Steel award as the best player in the competition.
His 2023 campaign was another strong one, and it led to struggling NRL clubs including the St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans all making a play for him to return to Australia in 2024.
Once talked about as the next Cooper Cronk during his formative years at the Melbourne Storm, Croft instead elected to remain in England, with the 26-year-old signing a three-year deal with the Leeds Rhinos that included the richest transfer fee seen in the competition for a number of years.
That may all come to nothing though with News Corp revealing that if clubs are interested and Croft wants to return to Australia, then there is a get out clause built into his contract.
The halfback's move to Leeds, without using the clause, will see him remain in England until at least the end of the 2026 season.
That would see Croft a 29-year-old and even then, still in with a chance at returning to the NRL where he played 65 games across his time for the Storm and Broncos.
His manager Chris Orr told the publication it was a case of "who knows", but that Croft was keen on a return one day.
โBrodie has some NRL clauses in his Leeds deal,โ Orr told the publication.
โWith the abundance of NRL halfbacks coming towards the end of their contracts for 2024, who knows, Brodie Croft could still one day come back to the NRL.
โAll the best halfbacks in the NRL are aged 28-plus. With the experience Brodie has gathered and the form he is in ... from what I have seen in the current market, Brodie has a lot to offer an NRL club.
โHe is certainly keen to come back one day but it is all based around opportunity and what's the right opportunity.โ
There is a well-known lack of depth in the current NRL halves talent pool, and it's little surprise to see a number of clubs making a play for Croft.
It could well be the same at the end of 2024 and the following seasons, with the likes of Daly Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt, Shaun Johnson and Adam Reynolds all approaching the end of their careers and very little in the way of players seemingly ready to replace them at their respective clubs.
