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Ryan Brierley on devastating Brodie Croft phone call amid Salford Red Devils rallying call
Ryan Brierley remembers the moment he turned his phone's aeroplane mode off and his heart sank. The Salford Red Devils star had just landed in Miami for an off-season holiday. The intention was to get away from rugby league for a while; instead, he shed tears over it.
Brierley had a missed call from Brodie Croft. He knew what was coming. The pair struck up a strong relationship on and off the field during their time together at Salford. However, that was about to come to an end. This was a breakup call, with Croft heading to Leeds.
"He made a habit of ruining my day, so I should have known what was coming," Brierley joked. "Obviously, the conversation will remain private, but I was devastated when he told me he would be leaving. It’s almost a compliment to our friendship that he would call me first to tell me, but it certainly wasn’t a phone call I wanted to have.
"The hardest thing is, I know it wasn’t his intention to leave; he didn’t want to leave. He loved Salford, the boys and the staff, and he left for the best interest of the club, which I and everyone at Salford will always be grateful for, but in the end, I actually encouraged him to go. As a friend, I wanted him to go look after his beautiful young family, and from what he’s been through, I’m actually really proud of him."
Brierley and Croft will line up as opponents on Friday when Salford make the trip to Headingley for a hotly anticipated reunion that will see Croft, Andy Ackers, and Nene Macdonald play their former clubs. Brierley accepts that the Reds have a tough year ahead but remains optimistic.
"I understand we’ve got a tough year ahead; we’ve lost an unbelievable amount of talent. In the last seven months, we’ve lost Tyler Dupree, Andy Ackers, Brodie Croft, Ken Sio and Joe Burgess. Naturally, expectations have dampened, but ultimately, we’ve got to go out every week, make the city proud of us and see where it takes us. I think the exciting part is the fact we have recruited some proven winners in Cust, Shorrocks and Nene, players who have all won silverware.
"I think to achieve that this year we will need a shed load of luck in regards to injuries, obviously, we will have to recruit and increase our numbers throughout the year, but with a balance of all that added with who I believe is the best coach in the competition, I suppose anything is possible.
"It won’t all be plain sailing throughout the year, and we’re all aware of that, and I think we will obviously adapt and improve throughout the season, so you probably won’t see the best version of Salford Red Devils in the early rounds. This is why we need our fans more than ever, we have the most loyal, brave fans in the country, and I know they will stand by us in those tough moments. We are going to need them more than ever."
