Fri 4 Oct: SL - Preliminary Final: Wigan Warriors v Salford Red Devils KO 7.45pm (TV)

[Keith Nutter]

Highlight for me was the young Salford fan crying uncontrollably with pure joy after the match,  That clip should be used to promote both the final and Salford going forward.

[Tonka]

Wigan fan here.  Salford totally dominated and deserved to win, am really pleased for them and their fans.  I’ll be there and no prizes for guessing who I’ll be very vocally supporting...

[LR23]

30 minutes ago, Keith Nutter said:

Highlight for me was the young Salford fan crying uncontrollably with pure joy after the match,  That clip should be used to promote both the final and Salford going forward.

Just watched the game back and that choked me up.

What a night. When Mossop went over, the previous 30+ years of anguish, uncertainty, near misses and disappointment were suddenly all worth it!

[BladeHearts]

9 hours ago, Jack Russell said:

Gutted, I didn't see this coming at all. But fair play and well done Salford. Another disappointment was the home fans attendance, truly awful. If no one from wigan can be arsed to turn up to a semi final then the fans don't deserve a final.

Is there not a strong case for making Play Off matches part of ST packages?

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Keith Nutter said:

Highlight for me was the young Salford fan crying uncontrollably with pure joy after the match,  That clip should be used to promote both the final and Salford going forward.

On twitter Sky contacted them to have them on Sports News and SL gave them free tickets for the final.

[MZH]

Just now, Dave T said:

On twitter Sky contacted them to have them on Sports News and SL gave them free tickets for the final.

I cried uncontrollably watching Hull a few times this season. Can I get free tickets too?

[MZH]

At the start of the season Salford were pretty much written off by everyone. I cant even remember any of their own fans who fancied them doing anything. Even the ones who were more positive still said they have some good players but it's a skinny squad and the long season will take its toll.

To think that they have made the GF is almost unbelievable. I jokingly mentioned Hull above, but in all seriousness it does make me a bit jealous. Salford don't have the resources, and a lot of their squad is players that have been rejected by other clubs. Yet they have shown what can be done when you try to play the right way and when you truly give everything to the cause. 

I hope that they can lift again next week and go one better, but it almost doesn't matter. Just getting there is an amazing achievement. I just hope the fans and players enjoy the occasion and make the club proud. I can't imagine many neutrals won't be behind you.

[sentoffagain2]

  Fantastic performance from the Salford team.And a joy to whatch the celebrations by their fans behind the sticks.Early in the season some poster were saying why don't Salford change their name to Manchester.Well the support they have had the last few weeks tells you why.I posted that Ian Watson was a canny half back and is developing into a very good coach.For me Ian and James Ford at York have been a revelation this season getting much more than expected out of players who are not just in it for the money.

[Dave T]

What a season it has been

Saints with the most dominant LLS ever with some brilliant Rugby.

A huge shock in the Cuo Final.

An unbelievable relegation battle in SL going down to the last match.

Toronto looking strong as ever, but a superb streak of form from Fev setting up a mouthwatering final.

Newcastle growing and growing as a club.

And then Canberra with its British contingent making the Grand Final.

For all anybody may moan about the standard of RL, it rather misses the point that this is the entertainment business.

[meast]

As a loyal supporter of a small club , like Salford, with a small but loyal fanbase, with a relatively small budget, and who get constantly ridiculed, sneered at and pulled down by fans of just about every other club (including Wakefield for some strange reason!) I feel what Salford have done is a big 'V' and  F---you to all those who claim the likes of London, Salford and Huddersfield should be kicked out because "we bring nothing" or "we have no fans" or "our support is embarrassing"

Well I'll tell you what, Warrington, and Wigan's support has been embarrassing and Salford's have been superb, for me, Salford and London have "brought more" to the game than anyone else this season apart from Saints, should we dispose of Wigan, Warrington, Hull, Leeds et now? massive well done to Salford, I wish it was Huddersfield sticking a giant sized two fingers up at the RL Elite this morning!

Go an win the thing and throw even more at them!

[graveyard johnny]

great to see a new face in the final well done Salford 

[meast]

16 minutes ago, Dave T said:

What a season it has been

Saints with the most dominant LLS ever with some brilliant Rugby.

A huge shock in the Cuo Final.

An unbelievable relegation battle in SL going down to the last match.

Toronto looking strong as ever, but a superb streak of form from Fev setting up a mouthwatering final.

Newcastle growing and growing as a club.

And then Canberra with its British contingent making the Grand Final.

For all anybody may moan about the standard of RL, it rather misses the point that this is the entertainment business.

I agree, but then it's just a shame we've had to put up with so many low quality, terrible games to get to that point, especially in Super league!

[Dave T]

Just now, meast said:

I agree, but then it's just a shame we've had to put up with so many low quality, terrible games to get to that point, especially in Super league!

Just in time to try and quash that positivity.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Bet there's some sore heads this morning! 

[Lowdesert]

Congratulations to Salford.  Another breath of fresh air with the way they’ve played in the final 3rd of the season.

Watson is a good coach getting the best out of his players.  They will not fear next weeks game, only relish it.  On last night performance another win next week will not be such a surprise.

Reading back in the press, it appears Rowley got involved before their game v Wire in July. Since that win, they’ve won another 10 on the trot.  

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, BladeHearts said:

Is there not a strong case for making Play Off matches part of ST packages?

No 

[tonyXIII]

18 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Bet there's some sore heads this morning! 

Yes. My head was sore, but, thanks to the wonder of paracetamol, it is better now. Much, much better!

[Dave T]

21 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Bet there's some sore heads this morning! 

O'Loughlin wasnt on for that long really....

[Dave T]

8 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

No 

Of course there is. If it is paid for up front, people attend. It is 100% proven.

Or we could moan, tut, scratch our heads and wonder why fans are not bothering every year even though we know how to fix it.

How we charge for it has loads of options, but getting it on the season tickets is what needs to be done.

It's like Netflix scrapping subscription fees in December and using pay-per-view and then wondering why viewing figures are down. Our model is subscription fees, over pay per view.

 

[I0RL]

As a Wigan fan attending the game I am obviously disappointed with the result. But I have to acknowledge what a great team performance it was from Salford. By team I am also including the supporters! What a great turnout and performance from them! That must have given the team a great lift. The pure joy and emotion at the end from players, supporters and backroom staff shows what a great sport RL is when there is a combined and focused passion. I can't imagine what the scenes will be like if they do a job on Saints next week. Saints are obvious favourites but I can see Salford making it a great final. With such momentum behind them who would now be surprised by Salford win?

[Saintslass]

Very late to the party but I watched the game last night and was hoping for a Salford win (obviously, as a Saints fan, I always hope for a Wigan loss but on this occasion that natural urge was complicated by the fact that I've always rooted for Salford and always hoped their fans would finally have something to make their loyal support through terrible times seem worthwhile). 

I enjoyed the match. Salford played very well and in a very committed way.  I'm not at all comfortable for next week although if we do lose then I will feel better losing to Salford than to Wigan!

Well done Salford and I'm so, so glad that at long last Salford fans have a reason to jump up and down with joy on the terraces.

[Oliver Clothesoff]

Nice to see a couple of “new” face in the finals this year in Canberra and Salford. I won’t be supporting Salford for obvious reasons but if we manage to play a big game in true Saints style of the past 2-3 years and manage to lose this one, as disappointed and angry as I will be, there will be a very small part of me pleased for Salford. 

 

[Davo5]

55 minutes ago, meast said:

I agree, but then it's just a shame we've had to put up with so many low quality, terrible games to get to that point, especially in Super league!

Well you will support Huddersfield.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Well done Salford, and hopefully a shot in the arm for the game in general - another Saints - Wigan game wouldn't have exactly got the pulses racing outside the two towns. Incidentally this is Salford's first appearance in a Championship play-off final since 1939, when they beat Cas 8 - 6 at Maine Road.

[GUBRATS]

37 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Of course there is. If it is paid for up front, people attend. It is 100% proven.

Or we could moan, tut, scratch our heads and wonder why fans are not bothering every year even though we know how to fix it.

How we charge for it has loads of options, but getting it on the season tickets is what needs to be done.

It's like Netflix scrapping subscription fees in December and using pay-per-view and then wondering why viewing figures are down. Our model is subscription fees, over pay per view.

 

It didn't seem to bother the Salford fans