Cross excited for coaching future

Widnes forward, Ben Cross says he is excited to move into coaching when he hangs up his boots at the end of the year.

Cross, a former New South Wales repetitive, has played with Leeds and Wigan in the Super League but is now in the process of applying for a role in Australia.

“I’m hoping to get something in the Newcastle region because that’s where our house is and where we want to move back to initially,” he told Love Rugby League.

“I’m not going to rule anything out because if an opportunity came up elsewhere, I’d give it serious consideration.

“I’ve put in an application at Newcastle Knights because they’re undergoing a restructure of their junior set up.

“I’m also talking to a few people I know who are involved in the local competition in Newcastle because that’s a really strong set-up.

“There’s a possibility that I’ll play on for another year if a player/coach role came up because that would allow me to cut my teeth.”

Cross has plenty of honours having won an NRL title with Melbourne but he believes all of his experiences will stand him in good stead for his transition.

 “It’s a new chapter in my career which I guess is a little scary but it’s something I’m really excited to move into,” he added.

“I’ve been in a struggling side and I’ve been in a Premiership winning side so I can draw on those experiences when I’m coaching.

“I’ve been privileged to have played with Canberra, Melbourne and Newcastle and in State of Origin and County origin. 

“I’ve really loved playing in the Super League too. I can’t put my finger on what it is but something is different about the game over here and I don’t mean that in a bad way. 

“Wigan are renowned as one of the best teams in the world and it was great to have a short spell there.

“Widnes v Warrington derbies have a fantastic atmosphere – I’ve loved playing in them and it was great to have played at Headingly in the Leeds team.”