Dragons end Brodie Croft chase after Salford demand $250,000 transfer fee

Salford Red Devils have found themselves in recent years to be the English landing spot for NRL talents to come and rediscover their form and love for the game.

Jackson Hastings was the first example, arriving in 2018 and taking the league by storm in his second season when he earned his Man of Steel award.

At that point Hastings made the switch to Wigan in pursuit of silverware before his ultimate return to the NRL.

Salford’s current Man of Steel and playmaking Australian is Brodie Croft and he managed to go one better than Hastings as he picked up the Man of Steel accolade in his maiden campaign.

Naturally that caught the attention of those down under and the Sydney Morning Herald are now reporting that one team even made a play for the 25-year-old.

St George Illawarra Dragons have had a difficult off-season suffering with injuries and at the halves position in particular.

The Herald have reported that Salford put off any advances by placing a $250,000 transfer fee on Croft’s head, given he still has one year left on his deal.

Whilst fees aren’t always a complete road block for a move, as seen by John Bateman making the switch back to the NRL in which the Herald reported Wigan as receiving a $125,000 fee, it was enough to put the Dragons off Croft.

The Herald suggested that the bosses at St George are unwilling and reluctant to put that sort of money, that would come out of club spendings and not salary cap, into a player who fell out with staff during his time at Melbourne.

It seems that Croft will remain in England for at least one year longer, however beyond his current deal it’s still unclear with presumably more teams than just St George to come knocking in 2024, especially if Croft can replicate the form of 2022 once again.