Big chance for Reds to end their bad run at Saints
SALFORD bounced back from their first successive defeats of the 2017 season to book their spot in the Challenge Cup semi-finals last week and are looking to return to winning ways in the Super League when they travel to St Helens tonight.
History suggests the Red Devils have it all to do – they haven’t beaten Saints away since 1980, suffering defeat on 32 separate trips.
However, the club did not go into many of those matches with such a commanding lead over their opponents in the league table.
Ian Watson’s side sit second in the table, six points behind leaders Castleford Tigers, who take on thirdplaced Leeds tonight.
After a disappointing start to the season, St Helens made the dramatic decision to part ways with Keiron Cunningham – a man who has a statue at the Totally Wicked Stadium – and replaced him with Sydney Rooster assistant Justin Holbrook.
Under their new boss, Saints have picked up, but their form remains patchy with three wins and three losses in their last six matches.
Centre Ryan Morgan is the only absentee through injury for the home side, who are expected to line up with ex-Red Devils Theo Fages and Matty Smith in the halves.
Lama Tasi will be making his first trip back to St Helens since returning to Salford in pre-season, while George Griffin is the only new injury from the side that moved within 80 minutes of Wembley with last week’s victory over Wakefield.
He misses out, but Josh Jones is back in Watson’s 19-man squad, which is otherwise expected to be unchanged.
Elsewhere, Oldham have brought in two loan players who will take the place of Kieran Gill and Tuoyo Egodo, who have both returned to Castleford.
Winger Kameron Pearce-Paul and prop Sadiq Adebiyi have both joined on one-month deals from London Broncos.
The pair, both aged 20, are available for Sunday’s trip to Bradford, with Roughyeds dealing with something of an injury crisis.
Danny Grimshaw, Scott Turner and Gareth Owen all picked up knocks in the late defeat to Dewsbury on Wednesday, while Richard Lepori, Phil Joy, Craig Briscoe and Sammy Gee are also sidelined.
As a result, chairman Chris Hamilton revealed the club is continuing the recruitment process as they look to end a run of seven successive defeats.
“We’ll be looking for other players too,” he said. “We’ll keep fighting and we’ll turn the corner. There’s still a lot of rugby to be played this season.”
Leigh Centurions have released Willie Tonga from his contract at Leigh Sports Village and allowed Martin Ridyard to extend his loan deal at Huddersfield Giants until the end of the season.