Salford Red Devils humiliate Super League rivals with outsiders made a mockery of

[josie andrews]

At a time when so many clubs fail to meet expectations, Salford are showing everyone how it's supposed to be done.

Salford are making a mockery out of everyone again. But even by their own standards, they're taking the biscuit this year.

We should all know by now that writing off the Reds is a fool's game; such has been their incredible knack of defying the odds and silencing doubters year after year. But after losing their two star players, Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers, as well as their two starting wingers in the off-season, ever the most hardened Salford supporter would surely have had doubts over their prospects for the season.

Yet they head into the final two rounds of the season fourth, having lost only two games at home all year and breaking records in the process. For all the success stories that have come out of this season, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one than Salford's when you consider all the factors in play.


Salford are living, breathing proof that a strong environment and that buzzword, culture, go a long way. While some clubs are seen as career graveyards, Salford is a career lifeline, and that has proven to be the case over and over again.

Take the side that lined up against Catalans on Saturday. Ethan Ryan was released by Hull KR last year, Tim Lafai was working on a building site when Salford gave him the call, while Jayden Nikorima and Nene Macdonald signed after being let go by previous clubs for disciplinary issues. Deon Cross and Chris Hankinson came from the Championship while Brad Singleton and Marc Sneyd were snapped up when not wanted by previous clubs.

In each of those cases, Salford have elevated their careers in some shape or form. Lafai went from semi-retirement to World Cup Finalist, Sneyd got international honours and has a shot at the Man of Steel; and even for an elder statesman like Gil Dudson, loaned to Salford when deemed surplus to requirements at Warrington, it has given him a chance to rebuild his career after a tough year.

It's what Salford do: rebuild careers. The list really is endless. Ryan Brierley has played his best rugby at the club, Kallum Watkins arrived after prolonged injury issues and cemented himself as an England player again. At the same time, the club reaps the rewards with performances on the field.

It's no fluke either. This has been happening for some time now. It was a similar story when they reached the Grand Final under Ian Watson in 2019. There is something intrinsically deep-rooted at Salford that allows players to thrive. What exactly that is remains a mystery from the outside, but how many bigger spending clubs wish to understand it.

They make a laughing stock out of their rivals. Hull FC's decision to let Sneyd go now looks like one of the worst pieces of business in many, many years. Leeds signed their two star players, as well as their director of rugby, yet the Reds still appear set to finish above them in the table, all while having one of their former players in Macdonald offering the dynamism of X-Factor Leeds have badly lacked at centre this year.

With the deal for the stadium now completed, one that should bring the club significant long-term benefits, Salford appear to be a club on the up. And while they will hope that allows them to retain their star players in the future, it's important that they keep the core values that have delivered so much unlikely success at the heart of what they do.

The Reds now look set for a play-off berth, and, while it's unclear whether they have the consistency to knock-off three consecutive wins against the top sides, their success story is already intact regardless.

As the song goes, the Reds do indeed appear to be arising.


https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... e-29890746