SALFORD’S new stand-off has insisted: “I’m not Brodie Croft, I’m Cade Cust.”
Former Wigan man Cust is the man handed the number-six shirt following the departure of Croft, who has been sold to Leeds alongside another influential figure in hooker Andy Ackers.
Croft was the Man of Steel in 2022, leaving Cust with big shoes to fill, but the 25-year-old says he’ll do things his way.
“I want to be myself. I’ve a running game, and I pride myself on my defence,” he said.
“I’m not Brodie Croft, I’m Cade Cust. I’m looking to show what I can do with the ball.”
He is excited to execute the expansive style of play advocated by Salford coach Paul Rowley: “Rowls is Rowls, he loves us to throw the ball around.
“It’s hard to defend against, having been on the end of it, so I’m really looking forward to being able to throw the ball around and execute the skill.”
Aussie Cust spent two seasons at Wigan, and while he was a regular in the first and won the Challenge Cup, he played only 15 games last term, as he was first injured and then dropped.
“It was a good two years, I really enjoyed it,” he reflected.
“Obviously I was hampered a bit by injuries but it’s part of the game. You can’t beat yourself up as long as you’re doing all the work off the pitch when you’re injured.
“Towards the end when I wasn’t being selected, I was making sure I showed up in training and gave it to the boys in my position.
“(Wigan’s title success) is something I wish I was a part of in the team, but I was a part of it in the squad.”
