Croft moving the goalposts in isolation

BRONCOS halfback’s innovative idea to keep fit during isolation at his Highfields home.

Brodie Croft. Picture: Alix Sweeney

RUGBY LEAGUE: The National Rugby League community is constantly looking at ways to stay in shape and stay match fit during the lockdown period.

While some are sourcing equipment to set up a home gym, Brisbane Broncos halfback and Highfields junior Brodie Croft has taken it to a new level.

Croft has set up goalposts in his backyard, taking a little slice of Suncorp Stadium to Highfields and the family home.

With the help of brother and fellow Eagles junior Zac, the impressive contraption gives the new Broncos recruit a new way to exercise at home.

Brodie Croft with the goalposts set up at his home in Highfields. Photo: Brisbane Broncos

Croft told Broncos media that it renewed a childhood tradition of setting the sticks up for footy season.

“In the afternoon I’ve been getting a session away just to keep my fitness up,” he said.

“It’s keeping me sane. It’s been good to get home as well and obviously I enjoy spending a fair bit of time in the backyard. We play all sorts of sports in it with the family.

“We used to have the posts up every year and then would take them down during the summer to play cricket in the backyard.

“When us kids started moving out of home we never really put the posts back up.

“They probably haven’t been up for about four, five or six years now.”

Croft said that he has been making the most of the isolation predicament, using the time to progress further in his sports science degree at university.

“I’ve been doing a fair bit of uni,” he said.

“I’ve almost completed a subject in just over two weeks, so I really been smashing that out. It makes me feel like I’ve been working during the week.

“I’m just over halfway through the course at the moment so I’m hoping during this time I can knock over a few more subjects that I wouldn’t have been able to do if we were playing football.”

The suspension of the NRL season came at a challenging time for Croft, who was getting settled into his new surrounds at the Broncos after an off-season move from Melbourne.

The halfback was impressive in his first showing for the club in a win over North Queensland.

Then followed a shoulder injury that saw him play less than a quarter of the game against South Sydney.

As it stands the NRL season is set to resume on May 28, however the fluid nature of the coronavirus pandemic means that could change at any stage.

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