Retirement was something that he considered, but for Widnes Vikings prop Ben Cross – he has made the decision to abandon immediate plans of retirement, signing a new 12-month deal with the ESL based club.
Cross, 33, joined the Vikings last year upon their return to the competition last year, but also had stints with both the Leeds Rhinos and the Wigan Warriors.
It is expected however, that Cross will hang up the boots at the end of next year, but in the meantime, the veteran prop knew that his body had enough for 1 more year.
“Having originally signed for just the one year, I now realise I’ve got at least another season left in me and I was keen for that time to be spent at Widnes,†he said.
“My body is still feeling pretty good and there are signs that we are definitely improving and moving in the right direction so I would have been foolish to look elsewhere.â€
Cross, who was also in the NRL for a number of years, in stints with the Canberra Raiders, Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm, scored his first professional try not too long ago for Widnes.
Dennis Betts, Widnes coach said:
“Ben approached us and expressed an interest in doing another year and we were only too happy to go along with his suggestion.
“He is really happy at the club and we are really happy with him. He is a fantastic bloke and his experience in top-flight rugby league is invaluable both on and off the field.
“He is just starting to find his feet at Widnes. It’s a new club and he has a new group of players around him and they are only just getting to know each other.â€