SALFORD RED DEVILS LEARN ROUND 1 & 2 OPPONENTS FOR 2024’S BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE

Salford Red Devils will visit Leeds Rhinos in Round 1, before returning home to face Castleford Tigers in Round 2 of 2024’s Betfred Super League.

The eagerly awaited, full 2024 fixture list is almost upon us, with our opening home and away games now confirmed.

We’re on the road to AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium on Friday, February 16th, with an 8pm kick-off, as the Super League season gets underway with a bang.

Rohan Smith’s Rhinos finished 8th place last season, but will be targeting a return to the top six, after reaching the Grand Final in 2022.

Our first home fixture of the season is a meeting with the Castleford Tigers. A team who narrowly avoided relegation in 2023, but will be rejuvenated by a new Head Coach, and a number of new signings.

They’ll travel to the Salford Stadium on Sunday, February 25th, for a 3pm kick-off.

Our last trip to Headingley was a successful one. Rhys Williams, Sam Stone and Ellis Longstaff were all on the scoresheet, as Salford recorded a fourth consecutive Super League victory.

There was a similar gritty performance the last time Cas visited the the Salford Stadium.

A stunning break, triggered by the excellence of Kallum Watkins, sent Brodie Croft strolling under the posts, before Shane Wright crashed through in the second forty to confirm victory.

Resolute defending by Ryan Brierley in the latter stages of the game was another highlight, as the Red Devils clung on to a crucial two points.

With both opening fixtures now confirmed, all eyes will be on tomorrow’s full fixture list, set to be released 8:30am!

ANDY ACKERS LEAVES SALFORD

We can confirm Andy Ackers has joined Leeds Rhinos. 

The 29-year-old signed for Salford Red Devils in June 2020 and has gone on to make 74 appearances, scoring 10 tries. 

Signing an initial two-year deal, Ackers was reunited with now-Head Coach, Paul Rowley, who he also worked with during his time at Toronto Wolfpack. 

During his four-year tenure, the natural hooker has shown clear signs of improvement, year on year – but 2022 was his real breakthrough campaign. 

Making 28 appearances across the season, Ackers was at the heart of some pivotal moments during our push for the playoffs. 

Most notably, supporters will fondly remember his late try in the 2022 Eliminator, against Huddersfield Giants.  

After an outstanding campaign, Ackers was deservedly named in Shaun Wane’s England World Cup squad. 

After making his debut against Fiji in a warm-up fixture, Ackers went on to score two tries in a 94-4 victory over Greece in the group stage. 

Continuing his flying form into 2023, he contributed to opening day success against Leigh Leopards with a trademark scurry from dummy-half, just before the half-time hooter. 

Despite a string of head knocks plaguing his season, Ackers continued to perform at a very high level when available.  

We would like to thank Andy for his efforts during his four-year stay and wish him – and his family – all the best for his future endeavours.  

BRODIE CROFT LEAVES SALFORD

We can confirm that Brodie Croft has joined Leeds Rhinos for a club record transfer fee.

The 26-year-old joined the club from Brisbane Broncos in August 2021 and has completely transformed his career at the Salford Stadium.

Croft provided a phenomenal 32 try contributions in his debut campaign and was a driving force behind our top six finish.

A nasty head injury sustained in the Eliminator prevented the halfback from competing in our semi-final clash against St Helens, the following week – a game where he could have made a huge difference.

Despite the disappointment as a collective, Croft was awarded the coveted Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel for his stunning individual season.

At the Red Devils’ End of Season awards evening, the Aussie also picked-up the Players’ Player, Coaches’ Player, and Supporters’ Player of the Year accolades.

Also earning a place in the 2022 Betfred Super League Dream Team, alongside teammates, Ken Sio and Tim Lafai, Croft added the widely respected Albert Goldthorpe Medal to his list of achievements in 2022.

He continued to show his brilliance in 2023 by so often being the architect of big moments and big tries.

Showing class and commitment throughout his time at the club, we would like to thank Brodie for his efforts and wish him and his family all the best in their next step.

NENE MACDONALD: THE STORY SO FAR!

It’s official – Nene Macdonald is a Salford Red Devils player.

Putting pen to paper, the Papua New Guinea international is an exciting addition to our side; with the ability to play at fullback, centre, or on the wing.

Macdonald began his career at Sydney Roosters’ NYC team in 2012, where he began to show glimpses of quality.

Producing performances way beyond his age, Macdonald received an early call-up to Papua New Guinea’s World Cup squad in 2013, where he made three appearances, scoring one try.

It was not long after that he made his NRL debut; scoring one try in a 32-12 victory against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, in 2014.

He finished the campaign with three tries in seven appearances and made a mid-season switch to the Gold Coast Titans in 2015.

Starting to find more regular game-time, Macdonald made 34 appearance in his two-year spell, scoring 14 tries.

St George Illawarra spotted his blossoming talent and managed to secure a two-year deal in 2017, where Macdonald would go on to make 46 appearances, scoring 16 tries.

Short spells at North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks proceeded a successful 2021 at the Norths Devils, where he helped the Queensland-based club win the Intrust Super Cup by beating WM Seagulls 16-10 in the Grand Final.

After making 98 NRL appearances for five different clubs, Macdonald made the move over to join international Head Coach, Adrian Lam in England.

Spending only one season at the then-Leigh Centurions, Macdonald scored a remarkable 27 tries in 27 appearances and helped the Leythers earn promotion back to the Betfred Super League.

There was then a reunion with Head Coach, Rohan Smith at Leeds Rhinos, who secured his signature on a two-year deal, in 2022.

He also represented his country in the recent Rugby League World Cup held in England.

Twenty appearances for the Rhinos and two tries later, he will be linking up with his new teammates at the Salford Stadium in pre-season and adding some serious quality to Paul Rowley’s squad.

SALFORD RESERVES MOUNT GRAND SECOND HALF FIGHT BACK

Salford 22  Leeds 36     Match Report

It is hardly surprising, when you take into consideration all that Leeds Rhinos have available to them in terms of recruitment to their Reserves side, compared with Salford, that encounters between the two sides can sometimes be most one sided – not that that proved to be the case in their latest contest, last Saturday – for whilst Salford have to vie with the likes of Wigan, St Helens, and Warrington for their recruits, the Rhinos have the whole of West Yorkshire, even over onto this side of the Pennines from which they have first choice as to whom they sign.

When, therefore, on Saturday, the Rhinos swept into a 30-6 lead, in the 42nd minute, it looked for all the world as though the remaining 38 would continue along the same lines.  True, the Reds had managed to get on the scoreboard on 23 mins, to erode into what, at that point, had been Leeds’s sixteen-point lead, but as the visitors then went on to increase their tally through two further converted tries to bring up a 26-6 half-time lead, it looked as though that solitary try might turn out to be mere consolation.

What, however, that scoreline did not show was the way that, after the shock of conceding the opening try on four minutes, the Red Devils had gradually started to work their way back into the game, marshalling their defence for over ten minutes to withstand lengthy periods of attack before succumbing once more to a four-pointer in the corner.

When their try eventually came it was well worth having waited for.  A penalty kick gave them good position in the Leeds twenty, and some fine handling culminated in fullback Billy Walkley putting winger, Scott Egan, over near the corner, from which Jack Stevens did extremely well to land the goal from out wide.

Despite this, and many other smaller positives, Coach, Stuart Wilkinson, says that the whole side was disappointed with the first half in general, and had been yearning for the half time interval to take stock and regroup.

“They are quite a young group, and when they were struggling to get a foothold in the game, they were also individually wrestling with themselves mentally as to how to deal with the situation.  The half time talk gave them the focus they needed.”

Not that any reward came immediately, with Leeds adding a further four points two minutes into the half, but gradually the momentum of the game began to shift in the Reds’ favour.  They retained possession for longer and built up their own spells of attack which eventually paid dividends.

It was as a consequence of extended pressure over several minutes, that their first score of the second half came, on 52 mins, when a quick play-the-ball, close to Leeds’s try line by Bardyel Wells enabled Finlay Yates to surge over from dummy half, giving Stevens a straightforward successful conversion attempt.

Fifteen minutes later, Salford’s patience, perseverance, and persistence, all of which are necessary in games which had suddenly become as tightly fought as this one had, saw the Rhinos becoming the architects of their own downfall when a defender ripped the ball in a tackle, backwards over his own line, to which Kellen Wood was first to react, and rewarded with the try.  Stevens, once again added the goal points.

Had anyone been in doubt, after this, that the visitors were starting to get somewhat rattled, that doubt was surely removed when John Hutchings finished off a fine handling move with another Stevens converted try to bring the Reds to within eight points, on 70 mins.

If only they could have kept their line intact for the final ten minutes, it would have made a quite impressive final score against one of the top clubs in the league.  Sadly, that was not to be as the Rhinos capitalised on a penalty, on 74 mins, to add a comforting, further six points to round off the scoring.

As far as this second half turnaround was concerned, Stuart Wilkinson was pleased with the way his charges had responded, though regretful of the fact that it had taken too long for them to do so.  He was however well satisfied with the contributions and progress his three Welsh players, Joe Coop-Franklin, Billy Walkley, and Jacob Lee had made, both in this game and on a match-by-match basis.

They, and the rest of the team will be able to take all that a stage further, in three weeks’ time when they entertain Newcastle in their next league fixture.

SALFORD

Billy Walkley, Scott Egan, George Charnock, Joe Coope-Franklin, Owen Blackwood, Nathan Connell, Jack Stevens, Lucas Iles, Kellen Wood, Bardyel Wells, Joen Hutchings, James Greenwood, Matty Unsworth

Substitute, Jacob Lee, Finley Yates, Euan Haynes, Lucas Coan

MATCH REPORT – SALFORD RED DEVILS 14-16 LEEDS RHINOS (BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE ROUND 18)

Two Rhyse Martin penalty-goals were the difference, as Salford Red Devils fell to a narrow defeat against Leeds Rhinos.

In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Betfred Super League campaigns in years, just eight points separates Catalans Dragons at the top, and Hull KR in eighth.

Paul Rowley was able to recall Ryan Brierley, Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers after their respective knocks, but lost skipper, Kallum Watkins to a injury of his own.

Deon Cross started really lively and put in a strong tackle that got Salford on the front foot. A few tackles later, Marc Sneyd tried to threaten the Rhinos line, but his short pass was spilled by Jack Ormondroyd.

Leeds took advantage of the metres and opened the scoring. Cameron Smith jogged across the line and darted into a wide-open gap to score.

Salford tried to respond and Sneyd’s high bomb was batted back by Cross. Brierley picked up the loose ball and made a dash for the corner, only to be nudged out of play by Richie Myler.

The Red Devils were starting to find their groove and Tim Lafai’s combination with Joe Burgess was proving a nightmare for the Rhinos to deal with.

A quick move from right to left allowed Croft the space to stab a grubber kick through to Lafai, who took his time to collect and ground.

Ten minutes later, Leeds hit back when Myler found Ash Handley in some space to charge past his man and slide over in the left corner.

Martin failed to convert, but made no mistake with his penalty-goal when Salford were penalised for one of eleven penalties across the contest.

HALF-TIME: Salford Red Devils 4-12 Leeds Rhinos

After the interval, Salford came out fast and cut the deficit with the exact same combination as our first try.

Croft cut the Rhinos defence open with a deft grubber kick and Lafai latched onto the bobbling ball to ground. Brierley – taking over kicking duties – added the extras from out wide.

It was only a few minutes later until we were over again. Croft’s high bomb was claimed well by Ken Sio and he raced over for career try number 98 in Super League.

A scuffle between both sets of players ended with Chris Atkin and Mikolaj Oledzki seeing yellow, but it was two further penalties that ultimately hurt Salford.

Martin had the simple task of converting from under the posts – twice – and handed his side a crucial two points.

FULL-TIME: Salford Red Devils 14-16 Leeds Rhinos

Photo credit: Steve McCormick

MATCH PREVIEW – SALFORD RED DEVILS VS LEEDS RHINOS (BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE ROUND 18)

Salford Red Devils are looking to bounce back from consecutive Betfred Super League defeats against Leeds Rhinos.

It’s a game with huge play-off implications; a win for Paul Rowley’s side will open up a six point gap between ourselves and the visitors in 8th.

Rohan Smith’s side are in great form and dismantled Warrington Wolves in their last outing, but our victory at Headingley in the last meeting between the two sides will certainly be fresh in their memory.

With key personnel back and a roaring home crowd behind us, it’ll be a great chance for our lads to get back to winning ways.

Here’s everything you need to know before this one:


SQUAD NEWS

As mentioned earlier, it was a triple-boost of injury news this week.

Fullback, Ryan Brierley returns from a head knock, with Brodie Croft recovering from broken fingers to make the 20-man squad.

Andy Ackers – who has been sidelined for six weeks – is also back.

There are a few notable absentees, however. Skipper, Kallum Watkins is missing with an injury of his own, with Andrew Dixon and Ellis Longstaff both out with head knocks.

Sam Stone remains on the sidelines, too.


ACKERS’ PREVIEW

Speaking to us at Captain’s run, our number nine was clearly delighted to be back in full training with his teammates and gave us an update on where his health is currently at, after a nasty head knock.

“Yeah, I’m really fit now,” he began.

“It’s probably not been as bad as everybody thought, it’s just the protocol and when you see a consultant specialist, they have to stand you down because of insurance reasons and stuff like that – they’re looking after my health first!

“It’s been a long six weeks, I’ve been itching to get out there, I probably could have got out there the week after, but it’s just the guidelines and protocols you have to go through.”

Catch our full chat with Ackers below.


HOW TO BUY TICKETS!

There is still time to join us at the Salford Stadium this afternoon.

Don’t forget, our Women’s team face Barrow Raiders Ladies on the Community Field at 12pm, so come down early, show your support and get inside the main bowl to back the boys.

Click HERE to secure your place.


EQUATAS ACCOUNTANTS & HINCHLIFFE TRANSPORT SERVICES LTD SPONSOR SALFORD RED DEVILS VS LEEDS RHINOS CLASH

We would like to extend a huge thank you to this Sunday’s match day and match ball sponsors, Equatas Accountants and Hinchliffe Transport Services LTD.

It’s the War of the Roses at the Salford Stadium, with Leeds Rhinos rolling into town for a huge, crunch clash, with play-off implications.

When we travelled to West Yorkshire earlier this season, Ellis Longstaff scored a crucial try in a memorable victory at Headingley.

Tickets for this fixture are still on sale and you can click HERE to secure your place.

Highlighting our match day sponsors, Equatas Accountants!

They provide high quality accountancy and tax advice to individuals, owner managed businesses and SMEs across the UK. 

Their team of experienced accountants and tax advisers have an in depth knowledge of advising in both private and business affairs, and offer a wide range of solutions depending on your needs.

Click HERE to head to their website.

Highlighting our match ball sponsor, Hinchliffe Transport Services LTD!

They have been heavily involved in the transport industry for over 100 years.

The trailer hire side of the business evolved in 2002, successfully growing year on year and going from strength to strength with the addition of brand new trailers to its hire fleet.

Click HERE to head to their website.

RED DEVILS IN DEPTH: ST HELENS V SALFORD

It had all looked so promising, and confidence was surely high among the Salford fans, as they travelled over to the Totally Wicked Stadium for their clash with the Saints, on the back of four successive Super League victories, including an extremely rare win over Leeds Rhinos, at Headingley.

The Saints, on the other hand, had had a rather less profitable couple of weeks, and were turning out after having undertaken the somewhat demanding sojourn to the south of France, for their away fixture with Catalans Dragons, all of which were most positive indications for everyone to be encouraged.

 In the end, however, it is all about what happens on the day, and that went contrary to these optimistic expectations, for the Saints had their own expectations and aspirations for the game – the expectations of the current World Club Champions to perform to that level – and took control in the second half to record a 26-12 home victory.

Not that anyone would have even thought that that would happen as the Red Devils turned on the style and swept into a twelve-point lead after only sixteen minutes, with two excellent tries.  The first came in the fifth minute when a totally unexpected, but magnificent, break by prop, King Vuniyayawa, left the Saints defence in his wake, and with the fleet-footed Brodie Croft in support, he fed the stand -off to go in, under the posts.

Andy Ackers it then was, who, eleven minutes later, put Kallum Watkins away down the right and his inside pass to Ryan Brierley saw, along with Marc Sneyd’s second successful conversion attempt, him double the Salford advantage to twelve, which was sufficient for the remaining twenty plus minutes to give them a 6-12 half time lead.

The second half turn around to the home team might lead anyone to regard this as a game of two halves but perhaps, on this occasion an over-simplification, because everything in a game leads on to what follows – more obviously to the more immediate, but also, to an extent, in the longer term.  The loss, for example, of Shane Wright, after a mere few minutes of his introduction denied the team all that he has brought to each game over recent weeks, and also meant that others had to play considerably more minutes, and therefore tired far more quickly as a result.

In fact the roots for this not inconsiderable half time turnaround had been planted during the first half.  There will have been few in attendance or watching tv, on the day, who would have thought, as Sneyd struck the ball to convert Brierley’s try that the Red Devils would fail to add to their score for the remainder of the match, but that was what happened and was something that fed into the St Helens game plan

The visitors had been put under spells of pressure from the outset right through to their first score, and then again between their two tries.  The Salford players had stood up well throughout each of these, as indeed they did throughout some rather more-lengthy spells thereafter, but the fact that these periods of Saints’ dominance became more protracted placed greater and greater demands on the players in terms of energy and concentration.

That these periods soaked up so much time was in part due to the St Helens players’ ability to complete their sets but aided by an increasing number of penalties and set restarts, which went the way of the home side.  Penalties are seldom awarded against teams in possession, the significant  majority are against defenders and, as these defenders start to tire, so their tackling technique suffers and the penalties continue to accrue all the more.

By the time the second half had got underway, the continued Saints’ pressure had started to tell on the Reds, and they immediately conceded yet another penalty, this time whilst in possession, for an incorrect play-the-ball, as early as the third tackle of the half, with a St Helens try coming directly off the back of it.

No-one could possibly question the Red Devils’ effort and commitment at any time during the encounter – without that there was no way they would have limited St Helens to only twenty-six points – but, in the second half, their execution was well below the standards we have become used to, with handling errors from some most wayward of passes seemingly prevalent, and each one presenting the home side with even more possession with which to challenge the Salford defence.

Forthcoming results may well show that in this match St Helens have turned a corner in their season, and that others will find themselves facing the same onslaught of pressure piled upon them, but for Salford players it is important to learn from the outing and fix the elements necessary for a Challenge Cup victory over visiting Huddersfield, next week.

REDS DEVILS IN DEPTH: LEEDS V SALFORD

In what was only the club’s fifth victory over Leeds at Headingley in seventy-eight years, the Salford Red Devils last Friday night, put that spectre to bed with an outstanding, winning performance, to take the spoils in an increasingly tightly fought battle to cement places in the Super League top six.

There had been an air of confidence and enthusiasm for the encounter, throughout the camp during the week, and on the night the players executed a game plan which drew on every strength within the side, leaving nothing to chance, and exposing any deficiency within their hosts’ ranks.

Whilst their attacking flair, as we knew it from last season, still lies awaiting the dry grounds, they have replaced it with an efficiency in defence of which Salford fans have not had experience for many a long year, and thereby rests a significant factor in the reasons for the paucity in post-war wins over there.

Looking back over the game without the anxieties which must have occasionally surfaced in some, whilst watching on the night, we can all appreciate just how good a game it was throughout, with both sides having their periods of ascendency.

Salford’s were probably the more prolonged, and certainly the more effective, because it was in these spells of dominance, with more than adequate possession in the Rhinos’ red zone, that their match winning twenty-two points were scored.  The effect on the home side of all this pressure was to force errors, particularly errors of discipline, leading to penalties and, consequently, even more pressure. 

The first of these came in the twelfth minute, when after an opening ten-minute arm wrestle, in which flaws in the home side’s handling started to become evident, Salford won, forcing a goal-line drop-out and a subsequent repeat set.

It was, however, the sin-binning in the 18th minute, of Leeds’s stand-off, Austin, for an obstruction on Kallum Watkins, which brought things to a head, with the Red Devils then tearing their opponents defence to shreds to notch two converted tries, through first, Rhys Williams, after they had got their attacking line in full flow, and then, five minutes later, the ball being moved to the left and Sam Stone showing great skill to avoid attempted tackles before going over to the left of the posts.

Their second period of dominance came in the third quarter, when they increased a six-point, half-time lead to what was to be a match-determining sixteen, courtesy of a converted try and two penalty goals.

The Rhinos, nevertheless, had their moments, though for somewhat shorter spells.  Their first came in the final ten minutes of the first half when they changed tactics by reverting to some daring, and some risky, offloads, which on the night stuck, none more than in the run up to their 38th minute try, under the posts.

Similarly, the Yorkshiremen gained the ascendency for the concluding fifteen minutes, when they were rejuvenated by a further six-pointer in the corner by getting on the end of a cross-field kick to set up, though as it turned out to be, an unnecessary nail-biting conclusion to the encounter – unnecessary, of course, because the Salford defence was equal to anything the Rhinos could thereafter muster to throw at it.

And that defence is now becoming a weapon in their armoury that no-one, outside the group, had probably expected.  It has, though,  been increasingly evident over a number of matches, culminating in that home victory over Catalans, which will have stood them in great stead in readiness for this encounter, for yet again the pack had to contend with, and actually subdue, a much larger and powerful opposing set.

Led by their opening middles, King Vuniyayawa, who must have relished every moment of facing up to his former club, Ollie Partington, who so noticeably showed the knack of putting himself in the right position to dictate plays, and Tyler Dupree, fresh from international duty.  They were ably replicated by the trustworthy Jack Ormondroyd, and Shane Wright, whose form this season has been absolute revelation.

Kallun Watkins made a captain’s contribution showing such strength and determination in his running, but mention also has to be made of the contribution of Ellis Longstaff, who had to be drafted into the unfamiliar role of centre, and acquitted himself well throughout, even going over the third of the visitors’ three tries.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the significant role of Marc Sneyd, whose kicking, especially goal-kicking, week after week, can so significantly make the difference between winning and losing.  It seems now to be even falling into the dim and distant past, at Leigh actually, since he last missed a goalkick, and his two penalty successes against the Rhinos, were, points-wise, the equivalent of an additional try.

So, it is onwards, next week, to the Totally Wicked Stadium, where against the World Club Champions it will require everything on view from the Reds at Leeds, and who knows what more besides, to overcome the Saints.  After this latest victory, their fourth in a row, however, they certainly will not be short on confidence.

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