Brodie Croft shoulder injury not as serious as first thought but Broncos back Tom Dearden
Brodie Croft\s expected return date has become clear after the Broncos halfback got scans following a shoulder injury in the win over South Sydney.
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Broncos halfback Brodie Croft has escaped serious injury but coach Anthony Seibold will not hesitate to throw teenage playmaker Tom Dearden into Brisbane’s famous No. 7 jersey if needed.
Croft may not miss any games after suffering a shoulder injury in Brisbane’s gritty 22-18 win against South Sydney on Friday night.
After an impressive start to the season, Croft is in doubt for Sunday week’s derby against the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.
But he received some positive news after scans cleared him of serious damage, revealing an AC joint injury that should not rule him out long-term.
Croft had shown promising signs in his 94 minutes as Brisbane’s chief organiser, controlling the Broncos and freeing five-eighth Anthony Milford to play exciting football.
But the Broncos may have to look to Dearden to continue their perfect start to 2020 if Croft’s shoulder doesn’t recover in time to face the Titans.
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Dearden, 19, played five NRL games for the Broncos last season as an 18-year-old and is viewed a long-term halfback prospect at Red Hill.
Seibold said he had faith Dearden could slot into Croft’s role seamlessly.
“We’ve got young Tom Dearden sitting there who I’ve got a lot of confidence in,” he said.
“We developed Tommy last year. I gave him five games in the NRL as an 18-year-old kid. He’s fresh and ready to go.
“He’ll come into the side. I’ll back him. I’ve got a great deal of confidence in him.
“He’s a very good young player and is ready to go.”
After being released by the Melbourne Storm to join Brisbane, Croft had been excellent in the early stages of his Broncos career.
The organising halfback brought the calm voice the Broncos had been searching for and looked sharp early against the Rabbitohs before succumbing to injury in the 14th minute.
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Croft joined a growing casualty ward including Matt Lodge (knee), Alex Glenn (hamstring), Jack Bird (knee) and Tevita Pangai Jr (suspended), but Seibold said the Broncos waiting in the wings were ready to go.
“We can’t take a trick at the minute,” he said.
“There’s been a couple of things go against us from an injury point of view.
“We don’t think it’s going to be anything too serious (with Croft).
“Everyone has shown so far…it’s just next man up.
“Jamil Hopoate did a hell of a job for Tevita and if Tommy comes in next week I’m sure he’ll do a hell of a job as well.”
Milford entered 2020 under pressure to perform and has so far lived up to expectations.
The 169-game NRL player scored a sensational 40m solo try against the Rabbitohs and Seibold said his highest-paid player was enjoying his football.
“I’ve taken all the pressure off Milf,” he said.
“I thought he was an uncomfortable person in the leadership group last year.
“I put a fair bit of pressure on him trying to get him to organise the team.
“I moved him to fullback which in some ways was probably good for him. He got a bit of freedom.
“With having Croft come in and young Tom Dearden developing, we’ve got a couple of organisers there.
“For Milf, just enjoy your footy, take the line on. He’s started really well.
“It’s good to see him playing with a smile on his face. He seems to be enjoying his footy.”