Watson demands a forwards march
IAN Watson is calling on another big performance from his Salford forwards today as they take on a physically imposing Toronto Wolfpack side.
After an impressive display against Halifax last week, the Red Devils head coach believes the pack will be key to keeping the club’s unbeaten start to The Qualifiers going at the AJ Bell Stadium.
“The forward battle is going to be massive this weekend,” he said.
“Our pack need to get on top of Toronto’s from the first whistle, make sure we control the ruck and generate a quicker play-theball than them.
“They’ve got some NRL quality players in their pack with Ashton Sims, Jack Buchanan and Darcy Lussick – they are experienced in playing at the top level of the game.
“They’ve also got a lot of players who’ve played in the Super League before, so it’s going to be a tough test.”
Wolfpack forward Darcy Lussick - who has made 117 appearances in the NRL - is the older brother of Salford new boy Joey Lussick and Watson thinks it offers up an ‘intriguing’ edge to the game.
Watson said: “It’s always interesting when you play against a family member.
“Joey is the younger brother and he’ll be trying to get one over on Darcy, as you do, while Darcy will be trying to show him who the boss is! So it’s going to be an intriguing battle.”
While the brothers going head-to-head will be the focus, Toronto also have a number of former Red Devils in their ranks with fullback Gareth O’Brien swapping the AJ Bell Stadium for Canada earlier this season.
“There’s a few Toronto players who’ve played at Salford – Mason Caton-Brown, Olsi Krasniqi, Andrew Dixon and Cory Paterson – but Gareth O’Brien will be the freshest in people’s minds.
“He’s fresh out of our system so he’ll know about us and we’ll know all about him.
“We’ll be waiting with a welcoming committee for Gaz this at the weekend.”
Salford have struggled with injuries throughout the eason but have recently welcomed back a host of players, with George Griffin being the most recent. And the forward is available for selection for the first time since the end of June.
“George has been back training and he’s looking really good. We just wanted to make sure he was fully fit before we got him back into the squad.” While the Red Devils have won each of their opening three Qualifiers fixtures, Watson isn’t letting complacency slip in and knows how important a result is today.
“Ten points will guarantee you’re in Super League next year while 6-8 points guarantees being in the Million Pound Game. We’re taking each game as it comes.
“We’ve won three and now we move onto Toronto with the aim of winning four.”
Lee Mossop returns to the Salford side after being rested against Halifax, but Ben Nakubuwai misses out due to a shoulder injury while Daniel Murray drops out of the squad.