WARRINGTON Wolves wanted a half-back – and now they have got their man.
And like any piece of recruitment, there is a lot to like about the deal to bring Brodie Croft to the club – and also a bit to ponder.
First and foremost, The Wire will be adding an operator of proven quality to their ranks now the deal to bring him to The Halliwell Jones Stadium for next year has gone through.
It’s something they were keen to do in the halves as while the likes of Ewan Irwin, Leon Hayes and Tommy Rhodes have talent and potential in abundance, there was the sense that some more experience was needed alongside them to ease their progression.
George Williams is leaving and Marc Sneyd appears likely to follow, albeit that is still not completely guaranteed, so Warrington were certainly lacking on that front.
All three will play a big role in the club’s future both short and long term, but they will now have a box-ready half-back who has been one of Super League’s best in his position for several years who is still very much in his prime given he will be 29 by the time he arrives in Warrington.
Put simply, Croft’s signing does not alter or diminish Wire’s belief in their academy graduates. Quite the opposite – the priority was to get them the best possible help.
What will be interesting to see, however, is the role the club see Croft playing within their side.
Of course, that will not become clear until the start of next year but it is pretty clear that the Australian prefers to use his dangerous running game and play eyes-up rugby league.
In that sense, he is very much a like-for-like replacement for Williams but as with their departing skipper, picking the right partner for Croft in order to get the most out of a very dangerous player will be paramount.
His best work on these shores has come alongside Sneyd at Salford – with Wire’s current number seven alongside him, Croft won the Man of Steel prize in 2022 – while his partnership with Jake Connor in the halves at Headingley has seen Connor take much of the organisational responsibility.
It appears likely that he will be by far the senior partner at Warrington, so how will that responsibility sit with him?
He may have played at stand-off of late, but Irwin’s time in the Wire academy saw him starring at scrum-half and as a player, he bears a lot of similarities to Connor – namely an excellent and accurate kicking game from both hand and tee while still possessing the ability to pass and run with quality.
Hayes too is a more conventional number seven and enjoys steering a team around the pitch.
The chief concern is whether either will be ready to take on that level of responsibility full-time at a club that expects to be competing for honours at their age, particularly Irwin who will still only be 18 by the time next season begins.
Warrington have been clear that they will be willing to give their young players backing and patience to learn on the job – see Irwin himself as well as Cai Taylor-Wray – and whoever is here next season will no doubt be relishing the prospect of playing alongside as dynamic and exciting a talent as Croft.
How will it work in practice? We will find out next year, but this is an eye-catching and impressive piece of business.
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