Salford have enjoyed a tremendous 2017 Super League season, proving many people wrong with a series of sensational wins.
With a Challenge Cup semi-final approaching, and the Red Devils sitting in third place on the ladder, there is plenty to play for. The real business is only beginning. These are heady days for the Salford club that hasn’t tasted success since 1976.
The latest test comes in the form of Castleford, the competition’s pace-setter and league leader. The Tigers have virtually swept all in front of them barring three teams – Hull FC, St Helens and of course, Salford. The Red Devils were the first team to get the better of Cas, back in March, in a tight 13-12 win at the AJ Bell Stadium. That result broke the Tigers’ unbeaten run and showed that this year Salford were a team to respect.
Since then the Red Devils have continued to impress and are well-placed to make finals both at Wembley and Old Trafford. There has been a slip up of late, with four losses from their past five Super League games. Salford were out-enthused and heavily out-played last weekend against Leeds. But beating Cas tonight, on their home turf of the Jungle, would show once more that the Red Devils are dangerous. The Tigers have not been defeated at the Mend-A-Hose this year.
Classy Cas are hard to contain with their free-flowing style, outrageous offloading and magical ball movement. But Salford centre Kris Welham says his team has no fear of them after already knocking them off earlier this season.
“We won’t be going there fearing them at all,” Welham said.
“We’re a good team, we’re sitting there in third position in the league. You don’t get up there by being lucky and having a rubbish attitude and team. We have played well, we had a bad day against Leeds, but we’re a good team and we believe in ourselves.
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“Cas are flying high so it should be a good game, but we’ll be confident. We beat them once and we can do it again. We’ve got a good game plan against every opponent to be fair. If we execute it right, do everything right and work hard at it, you win games. We did that the last time we played Cas. We stuck to our game plan, it was a real arm wrestle of a game, and we came out on top by one point.”
Welham has been a solid performer for Salford in 2017, after signing from Bradford. The experienced veteran had spent 10 seasons with Hull KR before joining the Bulls, but is relishing his time back in the top flight. The veteran has crossed eight times in 19 appearances for the Red Devils and has fitted in well at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Welham, like the rest of the Salford side, was poor last Sunday against the Rhinos. They are keen to make amends and he believes toppling Castleford would be the perfect tonic for his team to get back on track.
The 30-year-old said: “It is a massive game. But it’s a perfect way to bounce back. I think everyone in the team has got a lot of wrongs to put right.”
