Salford Red Devils star the ‘ultimate professional’ who is ‘always willing to get better’
Salford Red Devils centre Deon Cross has impressed in Super League since taking his opportunity to become a full-time professional last season.
The 26-year-old began his semi-professional career with Rochdale in 2018 before moving to Barrow the following season.
Cross then enjoyed an impressive spell with Widnes in the Championship, scoring 24 tries in 30 appearances for the Vikings.
The St Helens-born threequarter then earned his first full-time opportunity with Salford ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Cross, a current England Knights international, has been a key player for the Red Devils over the past two seasons, scoring 18 tries in 47 games for the club.
“Deon has been great,” Salford assistant coach Krisnan Inu said.
“I was fortunate to see him before coming to this club and I saw something in him back then.
“He is probably one of those players who you see has always got his notebook out and is doing all the right things to make sure he is well prepped before every game and that’s just how he prepares every week.
“He’s the ultimate professional. He’s always walking around with his notebook and is asking questions.
“If he’s unsure on something he’ll ask so he’s always willing to become a bit better at certain aspects of his game which helps him perform better.”
Salford Red Devils assistant provides update on Ryan Brierley
Scotland international Ryan Brierley will miss Friday night’s trip to Wakefield after failing a head injury assessment in last Sunday’s 26-6 defeat to Wigan.
On Brierley, Inu said: “He’s alright, he doesn’t mind having a rest. He’s been probably our best player this year.
“He seems alright, everything is okay, medically he has ticked all the boxes that could have let him play but the rules are the rules so he misses out this week.
“He’s probably been our best on the park. It’s a bit of a refresh button he gets to press at a good time of the year so he can get his body sorted for the rest of the season to come.”
The Red Devils face Wakefield at Belle Vue on Friday night, 7:45pm kick-off.
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