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 Anyone on the Widnes side who thought that the newly formed Salford Ladies team would be an easy take in Sundays opening league fixture at the home of the Halton Hornets amateur side must have had to amend their expectations quite rapidly as the game started to unfold in the most surprising of manners. New sides take time to settle and to jell. They are unsure of one another and the hesitancy this leads to can cause the havoc in both attack and defence, and this new look Salford team comprised of fourteen brand new faces, the three survivors from last season being hooker and skipper Taz Corcoran, centre and joint vice captain Alex Simpson and fullback Anna Dennis. When you look at them, however, who else but them would you have wanted in place of any of them, If you could only retain three individuals. It is not only their undeniable loyalty to the club, which they bring, it is the wonderful talent they each possess, and which will be so fundamental to the foundation and subsequen...

Salford Red Devils were made to work hard in the victory over London on Sunday at the Salford Community stadium.  Without  Ryan Brierley, Amir Bourouh, Cade Cust and Jack Ormondroyd in the starting 17 Paul Rowley selected Chris Hankinson at Fullback Joe Shorrocks at Hooker, Chris Atkin continued his half back partnership with Marc Sneyd and a graduate from Salford Red Devils development academy Nathan Connell took his place on the Bench. Salford had early pressure as repeat sets on the London line tested the broncos line. Unfortunately for the Red Devils  they were unable to come up with the score. As the 1st half went on it became littered with errors from both teams causing it to be a scrappy contest nether side really got hold of.  Salford thought they had opened the scoring when after a period of pressure resulted in a high kick from Marc Sneyd being collected by Salford Centre Nene McDonald who dived over the line in front of the South Stand. Unfortunately for S...

Devil In The Detail SRD · Paul King Pop up Podcast Cast your mind back to Salford’s first Super League match at the new stadium. Just over twelve years ago, 4th February 2012 Salford played Castleford in the snow losing 10-24. It was a horrendous day weather wise and for me personally it took over two hours to get home at full time. A lot has happened in the world of Salford Red Devils since that day both on and off the pitch! The weather was fine and dry for this fixture with a hint of spring in the air. After a very encouraging display at Leeds last Friday a home fixture was the perfect opportunity to get 2024 up and running.  Paul Rowley made just one change to his starting thirteen with loose forward Joe Shorrocks replacing the injured Oliver Partington, while Castleford fielded an unchanged starting 13 from last weekend. The Red Devils dominated the opening stages with plenty of possession as they battered the Tigers try line. Former Salford hero Malcolm Alker was proudly re...

Devil In The Detail SRD · Paul King Pop up Podcast On the way to Leeds last Friday I chatted with my dad and daughter Imogen about the eighty minutes in store. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from Salford. I knew Leeds would come out all guns blazing in front of a big expectant crowd and they duly did. The Red Devils certainly took the sting out of their hosts and quietened the crowd down. Marc Sneyd was excellent with his place kicking and ability to guide the team. One thing that stood out was Salford’s heroic defence. The Rhinos have a huge pack but they failed to bust Salford through the middle. Paul Rowley’s side defended their goal line like trojans at times.  The highlight of the first half saw Leeds winger Ash Handley race away to score a try that will be right up there as a try of the season contender. My dad likened Handley to the late, great John Atkinson who used to terrorise defences in the 60s,70s and early 80s for Leeds. Another player with a ma...

Devil In The Detail SRD · Stadium news, new signing and our Super League preview with Trevor Hunt As far as season openers go they don’t come much tougher than a trip to Headingley. Expectations were high in this part of West Yorkshire. With big money signings and a hefty looking squad Leeds were being tipped by many to finish high up the table. In contrast Paul Rowley’s Salford side had already been written off before a tackle has been made, that’s the way we like it though. Rugby league can be very parochial at times and if you listened to everything the media said you’d never believe or have faith in anything. Leeds coach Rohan Smith started with new signings Brodie Croft, Andy Ackers and Matt Frawley. Salford had plenty of new faces in the seventeen. Chris Hankinson started on the wing with Nene McDonald his centre. Cade Cust started at six. Joe Shorrocks made the bench and it was also great to see Shane Wright back in the side after a horrendous injury layoff last year. The pitc...

I hope I find you all well and ready for the 2024 season. I must admit I’ve enjoyed the off season but I am ready to get right behind the team for another year supporting the club we love. I think I’ve mentioned many times but sport seems to have a habit of throwing up grudge matches and exciting conundrums. The huge news in the close season was Brodie Croft leaving Salford to sign for Leeds. Hooker Andy Ackers has also joined him at Headingley so it seemed a knocking bet the two sides would face off in the season opener. Leeds have flexed their financial muscles with a real fanfare of trumpets. On the other hand Salford’s recruitment has been much more low key. That said though Paul Rowley seems to be building a very useful side with the right sort of people. Players that are willing to get the job done thoroughly and professionally, no egos or big time Charlie’s, Salford certainly don’t have the luxury for those types. Work man like is probably an unfair statement because the Red Dev...