Saint Costello joins coach at Red Devils
SALFORD have confirmed the capture of versatile outside back Matty Costello from St Helens.
The signing of the 22-year-old was another the club had progressed prior to Ian Watson’s departure as head coach, but the player is looking forward to once again linking up with Richard Marshall, who spent the past two season as an assistant coach at Saints.
“I’m pleased to be joining up with Rich again,” said Costello, who is comfortable at fullback, centre or on the wing. “He did a lot with me at St Helens. We had a meeting now we’ve both joined Salford and I’m sure he’ll be looking to do the same here.
“There’s a lot of players with international experience in the backs as well, so I’m sure I will learn from how they train and play too.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing against Salford. They’ve been tight games where the crowd has been really loud, so I can’t wait to experience more of that next season.”
Costello made his Super League debut for Saints in 2018, the year in which he was named Championship
Young Player of the Year on the back of an impressive loan spell at Sheffield Eagles.
“Having worked with Matty a lot over the last two years, I’m really pleased to be working with him again,” said head coach Marshall.
“His versatility makes him a valuable asset for the squad and he showed what he is already capable of with some impressive performances this season.
“This is a new challenge for him, so he will have to knuckle down in preseason and force his way into an established backline.”
Costello will provide competition in a backline that includes Kallum Watkins, Dan Sarginson, Morgan Escare, Ken Sio and Rhys Williams, as well as recent signing Joe Burgess.
Director of rugby Ian Blease said: “The addition of Matty strengthens our squad as a whole and provides options in a number of areas.
“He is a talented young player, who is still developing, but has already tasted success and is hungry for more.”
Meanwhile, it was an eventful start to pre-season for Oldham on Tuesday evening, with the squad training together for the first time in nine months.
Despite the heavy rain, the players were delighted to get back into the swing of things, although sessions look very different to usual as a series of anti-Covid protocols must be followed at all times.
And in what was perhaps a show of over-exuberance, a clash of heads between Cameron Leeming and Ryan Ince just two minutes into the session resulted in a broken nose for the former.
“A lot of work has gone into getting us to this stage,” said club chairman Chris Hamilton. “The lads were chomping at the bit to get back to training.
“A few of them will be feeling it later, but importantly we have taken a big step towards some kind of normality, with the ultimate aim of playing matches in front of our fans as soon as possible.”