Ian Watson | “We have to know how to turn the tide”

Head Coach Ian Watson was disappointed with his sides defensive display in defeat to Wigan Warriors and feels his team need to learn how to ‘turn the tide’.
He also gave his thoughts on a range of other topics.

On the performance…

We weren’t good enough defensively. We got ran and around a few too many times on our right-hand edge particularly coming out of yardage. When we put ourselves back in a position to win the game our right edge again let us down. We were disappointed in the first half when we conceded three consecutive tries. We have to know how to turn the tide there. We were completing at 44% in the first half which isn’t good enough. Our execution was poor on the back of that and defensively we let them march us. They did the basics really well and we didn’t.

On the performance in comparison with Castleford…

We were probably better in the Castleford game than we were today. Defensively I just think we’ve let ourselves down from our standards of what we normally compete at. Once we got into the lead again, we needed to up the intensity, but the likes of Dominic Manfredi and Joe Burgess got on the front foot and those two gave Wigan a big lift in the back-field. It’s up to us to deal with that and we didn’t do that well at all.

On injuries…

Ken Sio is the more serious one at the moment, he looked like he’d popped his groin. We’ll have to see what the physios say on that, but he could be looking at over a month.

On Adam Walker…

He was trying to lead the boys and when he came onto the field, he made a massive difference to us as well because he played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. He led the way in the middles, but they were really good for the majority of the game, but we just fell down in certain areas defensively.

On Adam Lawton…

I just felt the game was getting too quick in the middle of the ruck and Adam Lawton is a big guy. We need to be controlling the ball and getting our fair share of it as well and I just thought we made some silly errors. The game wasn’t panning out in a manner in which we felt we could introduce Adam.

On Ed Chamberlain…

Ed’s a good player and he’s a good guy as well who trains really hard. He’ll be disappointed that we’ve been beaten down that right edge but as a team we’ve got to be disappointed that we got beat down that side.
 
Tickets for Sunday’s game against Wakefield Trinity at the Mobile Rocket Stadium are now available to purchase from the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. For more details, click HERE. 

Squad | Ian Watson names 19-man squad for Wigan game

Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad for the visit of Betfred Super League champions Wigan Warriors on Sunday 24th March, 3pm kick-off.
Adam Lawton is named in the 19-man squad and could be in line to make his home debut. Adam Walker retains his place following an impressive debut at Castleford Tigers while Ed Chamberlain is looking for his first start of the season.
Tickets for our game against Wigan Warriors on Sunday 24th March are now available to purchase from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online HERE.
Here is the squad in full:
 
 

Talking Points | Catalans Dragons 0-46 Salford Red Devils

Salford Red Devils earned a huge 0-46 victory over Catalans Dragons to move up to 4th in the Betfred Super League and we take a look at some of the key talking points from the dominant display.

Blistering Bibby

Jake Bibby made his first appearance of the 2019 Betfred Super League season and what an appearance it was. Bibby – who has predominantly featured on the wing for Salford – was named at centre and put on a fantastic attacking display down the left-hand side.
The 23-year-old crossed for two tries and also notched two try-assists. Bibby finished breakaway tries either side of half-time firstly planting down a Jackson Hastings kick before taking an offload and linking up with the halfback again to score just one minute after the interval.


Bibby was a constant threat for the Red Devils on the left-hand side and got his hands free on a number of occasions to offload the ball. Two of his offloads led to tries firstly his flick to Niall Evalds who punted the ball down field with George Griffin eventually finishing the move before Bibby returned the favour to Hastings as he flicked the ball out to the Australian for him to find the try-line.
The centre’s inclusion came about due to an injury to Junior Sa’u who had been ever-present up until this weekend. Bibby’s performance has emphasised the strength in depth in Ian Watson’s squad particularly in the centres alongside Kris Welham, Junior Sa’u and Ed Chamberlain.

Dogged Defence

Throughout the 2019 season so far, Head Coach Ian Watson has continuously made it clear that defence will win Salford Red Devils games, and this is something they have been working hard on which has been evident in the opening weeks of the season.
Salford Red Devils nilled London Broncos in Round Two of the 2019 season and this was the first time they had kept a team scoreless in the Betfred Super League since 2006. They also went on to keep Hull Kingston Rovers scoreless in the second half of their recent meeting which allowed a memorable comeback at KCOM Craven Park.

That resilient defence continued this weekend as the Red Devils managed to keep Catalans to nil in a fantastic performance. In the second half, Catalans did earn a number of repeated sets on the Salford line, but Ian Watson’s men stood firm and denied the Dragons.
It is extremely difficult to keep a side scoreless particularly away from home. The Red Devils will no doubt take confidence from this and be looking to carry this dogged defence into next weekend’s fixture against Castleford Tigers.

Away Form

It may be too early in the season to start discussing ‘form’ however one thing that is clear is Salford Red Devils’ improvement on the road in the early stages of the 2019 Betfred Super League season.
Last year, the Red Devils won just one away game in the Betfred Super League and they have already trebled that tally in 2019. They earned yet another away victory against Huddersfield before an impressive comeback win against Hull Kingston Rovers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuzH4mhnoh9/
However, a 0-46 win over Catalans in Perpignan is certainly the most impressive victory so far considering the Red Devils hadn’t come away from the south of France with two points for eight long years.
This form has been helped by some brilliant travelling support from the Red Devils faithful at Huddersfield Giants, Hull Kingston Rovers and Catalans Dragons. This is something Ian Watson eluded to in his post-match press conference at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Lawton Debuts 

Off-season signing Adam Lawton made his Betfred Super League bow for the Red Devils this weekend at Catalans coming off the interchange bench in the second half. Lawton had spent the last month on loan with Betfred Championship side Rochdale Hornets for whom he powered over for three tries.
While Lawton didn’t cross for a try, he immediately settled at the top level and didn’t put a foot wrong. Catalans had begun to apply a lot of pressure to the Salford line as Lawton entered the fray, but the former Widnes man stood strong and defended a number of goal line sets to help keep the Dragons out.

Lawton will be looking to push for a regular spot in the Salford side throughout the 2019 season and there is no question that the big man will cause issues for Betfred Super League defences with ball in hand.
 
Tickets for Salford Red Devils next fixture against Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday 17th March are now available from the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. For ticket and coach details, click HERE.
Salford Red Devils next home fixture sees them welcome Wigan Warriors to the The Salford Stadium on Sunday 24th March and you can purchase tickets from the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online HERE. For ticket prices, click HERE.

Ian Watson | “It’s our defence we take pride in”

Head Coach Ian Watson was delighted with his sides 0-46 victory over Catalans Dragons and discussed a range of pleasing aspects of the performance.

On the performance…

We felt we did a lot of positive stuff last week against St Helens. We did things that maybe the supporters don’t notice but players see in those big game and we knew coming to Catalans we’d have to be at that level of performance or above it so we kept the game plan really simple this week because we knew how good Catalans were but coming here and nilling Catalans is above what we thought we’d achieve here. The defence won the game. The way we kicked them into pockets and then we were really resilient at the back end and that won us the game. The attack is the icing on the cake for us but it’s our defence we take pride in.

On surprising people with the victory…

Every week we go in to play and I know the players and I believe we’ll beat everyone we play. It’s no surprise to me that we’ve won. We’ve got a good group but they’ve just got to grow and mature together in learning how to win the bigger games and the mentality we had against St Helens we had today as well, but we were better against Catalans. It shows we can beat teams by doing things right, but we’re used to people knocking us – it’s nothing new.

On the forward battle…

Our pack had a meeting the day before the game and said that if we were to win this game our pack needed to step up here. Lee Mossop – despite the latter not playing – led the way in that meeting, Mark Flanagan came back in and Gil Dudson has been a leader since he arrived, those guys stood up and made it clear they wanted to set a standard for the pack, and everyone has seen what they’re capable of. I thought Daniel Murray was outstanding and Ben Nakubuwai too. Adam Lawton must have come on and had to defend six goal line sets and that’s the tough part of the game and his attitude was not to be beaten there and that was the pleasing thing.

On Jake Bibby…

He was absolutely outstanding today. He’s been waiting for his chance and we’ve always had Junior Sa’u in there who always does a good job and is a leader for us. Bibby has had to be patient this season, but he’s took his chance today and put a bit of pressure in the centre positions. We’ve been waiting for Bibby to play because we sensed in pre-season, he was ready this year to step up and he’s shown a real good account of himself there.

On the halves…

I think Jackson Hastings and Rob Lui were very mature today. From the sideline you can hear them talking and Robbie was very mature in how he managed the game and he was talking to Jackson all the time, so he was helping him because we have to remember Jackson is only young and Robbie is the experienced half and he’s played outside Jonathan Thurston so he knows how to pass his maturity onto Jackson.

On preparing for Castleford…

We knew we were coming into a tough run of games but we’re confident as a group that we can perform, and we’ll be keeping our game plan really simple, so everybody knows their role. The lads deserve a lot of credit for this performance and should take the plaudits, but we’ll be back to work next week for Castleford.

On the attitude…

The pleasing stuff was when we defended a number of back-to-back sets and then went down the other end and the support play was still there. We did make an error, but our defensive line got straight back in position and that just shows your team is hungry and ready to work hard for each other.

On the travelling support…

We’ve spoken about the away fans all year and I think they’ve been outstanding at every game. You can’t knock them they were unbelievable singing the roof off the place. I know they love a good trip to Catalans, but this will be better for the result and they hope they enjoy their night.
 
Tickets for Salford Red Devils next fixture against Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday 17th March are now available from the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. For ticket and coach details, click HERE.
Salford Red Devils next home fixture sees them welcome Wigan Warriors to the The Salford Stadium on Sunday 24th March and you can purchase tickets from the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online HERE. For ticket prices, click HERE.

Ian Watson | “We want to attack straight from the beginning”

As Salford Red Devils head over to France to face Catalan Dragons on Saturday, Head Coach Ian Watson takes a positive mindset in the hope that his side can bring home two points.

On last weekend’s game against St Helens…

I thought there was loads of positives from playing the best team in the competition at the moment, who everyone’s tipped to win the Grand Final. We competed in large parts and for the first 20 minutes of the game we were really good – really good arm wrestle and we were finishing our sets well in that period.
They just maintained theirs a lot longer and continued to finish the sets really well in corners and upped the line speed defensively. They won the field position through the defence – I thought the defence was outstanding on the day.
For us, a lot of positives. We were a hell of a lot better defensively in the second half and started to dominate on the field position. We just needed to do it straight from the start of the game and have that mentality to stay in those arm wrestles with the top teams for longer.

On Salford’s defence…

It’s a big focus for us as a team and for the lads individually. They want to be known for the defence and they want to build a reputation on having good defence, especially on the back of the chase. Its where the teams win the field position on the back of the early tackles.
We’ve spoken about it this year and we know for four halves of football this year we’ve nilled teams which is a big plus for us as a team, where we’re saying that we really want to be represented in our defence.

On this week’s preparations…

We’ve had a great week after a few niggles after the Saints game, which you get after playing against some of the best teams because they’re tough games like that when they’re pretty much an arm wrestle mentality.
Theres a few players that we’ll assess as we go forward on through the week but the early parts of the sessions from Monday into today and Wednesday, we’ve had two great sessions so hopefully we can take that forward now.

On the squad…

We’ll take Adam Lawton with us this time, so he’ll be in the 20-squad that we take over with us. He’s been doing really well at Rochdale so he’ll put competition on our middles, as will Adam Walker.
With us knowing that he’s back the following week will put more pressure on the players to make sure they’re performing and doing their job because Adam’s a known quality middle so we’ll want to feature him as soon as we can once his bans over. It’s up to the boys to go out there and put their best performance out there so they maintain the place for the following week.

On Saturday’s game against Catalan Dragons…

Catalan are a tough team, it’s a tough place to go. Our records not great over there for the past couple of years so we want to go across there with a real positive mindset and attack that straight from the beginning. We want to do that in attack and in defence so we’re looking to go with a positive performance and try and get the win there this year, but we know it’s a real tough ask to do that and we need to be at our best to do it.
It’ll build on the performance of St Helens. I thought St Helens was a really good performance in terms of our attitude and our effort when playing against the top teams. What we need to do is show that against Catalan and show that we can compete against the best teams, week in and week out because Catalan were up there last year and they won the cup. They had a great performance against Warrington last week, so if we can go out there and set our stall out then I think it’ll bode well for the rest of the season.

On the fans…

I think the support has been great this year and the players talk about it as well! I keep talking about the away games because you can consistently hear them all the time. They’re in good voice and they’re really positive and behind the players when they’re at the games.
The home games have been really loud and vocal and it’s good to see more supporters coming through the turnstiles. We’ve always had a good following go to Catalan so hopefully we can reward those fans with a victory this time.

Ian Watson | “We’re confident in the teams ability to learn”

Head Coach Ian Watson was pleased with the effort from his side and feels the Red Devils can learn a lot from their opponents St Helens.
He also touched on a number of other topics in his post-match press conference.

On the game…

Credit to St Helens on how good they were defensively – that was the key. I thought just they were really consistent in turning us over in a pocket and were really consistent with their line speed and intensity in defence and knowing when to drop off and be really disciplined and not give penalties away coming out of yardage. Their defence was outstanding, and it was something we spoke about at half-time and that we needed to be better at and learn a lesson from a champion team. I think we did do that in the second half, and we were miles better at it and that’s credit to the players. I thought there was a lot of effort and endeavour from our lads.

On learning from St Helens… 

That’s a key thing for us and I think it’s what we’re trying to learn as a group. We’ve got a group in now who understand how we want to play and what we want to be known as. Saints have taught us a lesson in how we want to set about defensively really and to have that patient approach but I suppose that’s why they’re consistently playing in semi-finals and play-offs and until we buy into that and are as good as them at that we won’t get to those semi-finals at this point but we’re confident in the players’ ability to learn and to go forward from here.

On the injuries…

Teams pick up injuries, it wasn’t why we lost the game. Losing George Griffin and Lee Mossop obviously disrupts things but big credit to Daniel Murray he was 18th man and he’s been told to jump in on short notice and stood up against Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson. Lee Mossop looks like he’s torn his hamstring and is the worst of them all. George Griffin felt it pulling up and when he hit a shield, he felt a pain go through it, so we won’t know how bad that one is until he gets assessed next week.

On the defensive efforts…

Jackson’s trackback try-saving tackle was special as was Ken Sio and Niall Evalds’ effort on Tommy Makinson. We encourage those kinds of efforts from our players because it shows a real desire and work ethic within your team.

On the start to the season…

It’s been a good start and I’d say this performance was good, it’s given us something to build on. I’d say the disappointing performance was the Leeds one for us. I don’t think we represented ourselves well in the Leeds game, but I thought against St Helens we dug in and a lot of other teams may have cracked a lot earlier than what we did. We just need to learn to not get bored doing things and be a little more patient in our approach.

On squad depth…

I’m confident in the squad we have particularly with our middles. We’ve got Adam Lawton who is developing really well playing down at Rochdale Hornets at the moment and his movements have been looking a lot better in those games we’ve been watching. We’ve also got Daniel Murray and Mark Flanagan didn’t play this weekend either so there are guys to drop in there and I don’t think we’re in a desperate situation just yet.
 
Tickets for Salford Red Devils next two home fixtures against Wigan Warriors on 24th March and Hull FC on 7th April are both available to purchase at the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 7861 570 or online HERE. You can SAVE money by purchasing in advance!

Squad | Adam Lawton joins Rochdale Hornets on a one-month loan

Salford Red Devils can confirm that Adam Lawton has joined Betfred Championship side Rochdale Hornets on a one-month loan deal. 
Lawton joined the Red Devils ahead of pre-season after spending time away from the professional game in Australia. The back-rower broke onto the scene in 2014 with Widnes Vikings.
Director of Rugby and Operations, Ian Blease, said: “Adam has been great since joining the Club at the start of pre-season.
“We feel this short-term loan will provide Adam with a great opportunity to get some regular first team game time and further his development.”
Adam Lawton could feature in Rochdale’s upcoming fixtures against Toronto Wolfpack, Toulouse Olympique, Batley Bulldogs and Barrow Raiders.

Ian Watson | “I can’t wait for the season to start”

Salford Red Devils Head Coach Ian Watson has given his thoughts on a range of topics ahead of this year’s opening game of the Betfred Super League season against Huddersfield Giants.
On getting the season underway…
“I just can’t wait for it to get started, though it does seem a bit earlier these days. The most important thing is that the guys have had sufficient time to recover, mentally and physically, and then get back into pre-season to the work that needs to be done there.”
On the new players in the pack…
“Adam [Lawton] is bigger than the units we had last season, while Gil Dudson has come in and set some really standards. He is really standing out as a leader among our middles, alongside Mark Flanagan and Lee Mossop.
“Jansin Turgut will also provide some pace, aggression and ball handling skill to our outer edge.”
On Jake Bibby…
“They are no longer kids now. They are fully fledged first teamers, which is what we kept instilling into them last season and they did in fact grow into that tole as they showed through some really good performances.
“We have already seen a difference in Jake Bibby during this close season compared with last year’s and the players are now seeing him as a genuine contender to hold down a place in the team.
“That is a big positive for both him and the team and he deserves a lot of credit for the way he has conducted himself through this last twelve months.”
On Daniel Murray…
“We’ll be looking to him to be challenging the likes of Lee Mossop and Gil Dudson who, at the moment, have the advantage over him with their longstanding experience. But we shall be looking at Dan, along with Ben Nakubuwai, to be playing more games this coming year and stamping their authority on the team.”
On the transition from last season…
“We have got to kick on like we did that other time. It is all well and good performing in The Qualifiers but we now have to do it against the likes of St Helens, Wigan and Wakefield.
“We are a strong, capable group with the ability to do this, and if we manage each game carefully and get something out of each of them, that momentum will continue to be generated and will take us forward.
On the loop fixtures…
“We have to play all the teams in the league at some point, so we are not going to be worrying about which team is coming up when. We are just going to focus on ourselves and what we can deliver, and we are most confident within the group that we can do well.
“We know that we shall be facing certain additional challenges with having extra games against Wigan, Warrington and Leeds, to name just a few, together with an additional trip all the way down to London. Those are the fixtures and it is our job to go out there and compete in all of them.”
On the shot clock…
“Everything is going to take place in a lot shorter time period, and at a whole lot quicker pace than previously, particularly with the number of interchanges also being reduced even further, from ten to eight.
“It is absolutely great for us, because our middle men are athletic, and we also have a number of forwards who regularly play a large number of minutes anyway, so we are more than happy with these changes.”
 
Tickets for Friday’s game against Huddersfield Giants at John Smiths Stadium are available from the AJ Bell Stadium Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. Ticket prices will rise on gameday so we advise supporters to purchase in advance. Salford Red Devils also retain 25% of any purchase from the The Salford Stadium.
Coach travel is also available to Friday’s game and can be booked at the The Salford Stadium or over the phone on 0161 786 1570. All ticket prices and coach details can be found HERE.

Tickets | First three home games of 2019 now available

Tickets for our first three home games of the Betfred Super League season are now on sale. 
Supporters can now buy tickets for our fixtures against London Broncos, Leeds Rhinos and St Helens from the The Salford Stadium Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online by clicking here. 
The Red Devils are set to host newly-promoted London Broncos on Sunday 10th February, 3pm. This is the first game since the Club’s decision to move the majority of our Betfred Super League games to Sundays.
This will also be the first chance to see new signings Ken Sio, Adam Lawton and Gil Dudson in competitive action for the Red Devils. Be sure to purchase your tickets for our home opener of the 2019 season.
Ian Watson’s side are set to face Leeds Rhinos on Sunday 17th February, 3pm kick-off before hosting St Helens on Thursday 28th February, 7:45pm kick-off.
Please remember, you can save money by purchasing your tickets for all three of these games in advance from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online here. Ticket prices will rise on gameday.
2019 ticket prices are as follows:

Stand/Area Category Online price Price Gameday Price
South Adult £20.50 £22 £24
  Concession £15.50 £17 £19
  Under 16 £5.50 £7 £9
  Family £42.50 £44 £46
West Adult £26.50 £28 £30
  Concession £20.50 £22 £24
  Under 16 £5.50 £7 £9
Family £53.50 £55 £57
West (VIP) Adult £42.50 £44 £46
Concession £31.50 £33 £35
Under 16 £20.50 £22 £24
Family £86.50 £88 £90

But, 2019 Season Tickets offer the best value for money to see every Red Devils home fixture this season and they are still available to purchase at the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online HERE.
You can also spread the cost of your 2019 Season Ticket throughout the season thanks to our Direct Debit payment scheme which is available at the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. Online purchases must be done in one payment.

Salford Red Devils 2019 Squad Numbers

Salford Red Devils are delighted to reveal our squads playing numbers ahead of the 2019 season.
Ken Sio is set to wear 23 following his arrival at the The Salford Stadium. Gil Dudson has been named at number ten while fellow new signings Adam Lawton and Adam Walker will wear 25 and 15, respectively.
Josh Wood – who was last year’s Young Player of the Year – has moved to number nine. Fellow youngster Jake Bibby has moved to number five.
Greg Burke and Ed Chamberlain who arrived midway through 2017 have been given 16 and two.
Jackson Hastings will remain as number 31, the number he wore when originally joining the Club in July. Joey Lussick will wear 14.
Niall Evalds has moved to number one, the position he occupied for the majority of last season.
The full squad list and sponsors are as follows:

  1. Niall Evalds sponsored by The Dog & Partridge
  2. Ed Chamberlain sponsored by Sparta Lightning Services
  3. Kris Welham sponsored by Process Gas Services
  4. Junior Sa’u sponsored by FAC Site Services
  5. Jake Bibby sponsored by Executive VPA
  6. Robert Lui sponsored by Steadfast Epoxy Flooring
  7. N/A
  8.  Lee Mossop sponsored by Austin Wilkinson
  9. Josh Wood sponsored by SRD Roofing
  10. Gil Dudson sponsored PH Services
  11. Josh Jones sponsored by Oakwood Engineering
  12. George Griffin sponsored by SuperJosh
  13. Mark Flanagan sponsored by Sparta Lightning Services
  14. Joey Lussick sponsored by Salmon King
  15. Adam Walker
  16. Greg Burke sponsored by Kinpaja
  17. Tyrone McCarthy sponsored by Arlec Property Services
  18. Ben Nakubuwai sponsored by Sparta Lightning Services
  19. Logan Tomkins sponsored by PH Services
  20. Daniel Murray sponsored by Juniper Gin Bar
  21. Greg Johnson sponsored by CD Brick & Stone
  22. Derrell Olpherts sponsored by Gold Line Draw
  23. Ken Sio sponsored by Advanced Steel
  24. Jansin Turgut sponsored by Acrobat FCSM
  25. Adam Lawton sponsored by Murray Metals
  26. N/A
  27. N/A
  28. N/A
  29. N/A
  30. N/A
  31. Jackson Hastings sponsored by Advanced Steel

Remember, for the best value for money you can still purchase a Salford Red Devils 2019 Season Ticket from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or by simply clicking online HERE.
You can spread the cost of your 2019 Season Ticket over seven easy, manageable monthly payments via our Direct Debit payment scheme. To purchase your 2019 Season Ticket via Direct Debit please visit the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office or call 0161 786 1570. Please remember the Direct Debit option is not available via online purchases.

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