Brodie Croft looking to inspire Leeds to top six – courtesy of notebook
BRODIE Croft hopes to be all write and help Leeds gatecrash the play-offs, thanks to his notebook.
For the Rhinos’ star jots down everything he needs to be the best he can be after every match and every meeting.
Brodie Croft has told how a notebook in which he keeps ‘reminders’ is proving keySWPIX.COM
The stand off has already established himself as a key part of the bid to bring silverware back to Headingley, less than a year after he joined.
Boss Brad Arthur – who has committed to stay for 2025 – recognised the day he walked in that he took notes in off-field meetings ahead of matches.
And lessons picked up on the pitch also go in there as he looks to stay at the levels that earned him rugby league’s biggest individual honour, the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award, in 2022.
Croft said: “You could call them little mental fresheners – just reminding me of little cues I’m looking for in matches, both in attack and defence.
“It’s something I’ve done throughout my career. I find it works for me, it doesn’t work for everyone but I’ll keep doing it.
“There’s a good balance in there of strengths and weaknesses of the opposition’s game that we’ll try and exploit but also attributes of my game that I want to implement to counteract them.
“Every meeting and every game I bring it. I’ve the same routine every week, regardless of who you’re against, you always do your homework beforehand.
“After games and training sessions I’ll write down what I’ve done well and I have my own goals each week that I want to try to hit.
“I self-coach myself a bit and hold myself accountable before the coaches. That’s only going to help me improve my own performance and hopefully that helps the team’s.
“That’s the best preparation for myself but the coach also holds me to account – just because I take notes doesn’t mean they give me a blind eye and Brad’s really good with that.
Croft must inspire Leeds to a win at Hull KR for them to have a top six chanceSWPIX.COM
“I really enjoy what he’s brought to the club and the boys are really buying into him.”
Leeds need all of Croft’s expertise as they must win at Hull KR and hope to squeeze into the top six as they lie one point behind Leigh with one match remaining,
But the 27-year-old – who still lives on the other side of the Pennines – believes it is up to the forward pack to set the platform.
He added: “It makes your job on the edge a lot easier if the guys in the middle work hard.
“It’s a joy to come to work every day and while the season can be called frustrating in a way, the whole narrative can change.”
