Salford Red Devils have endured a difficult period off the field, but captain Kallum Watkins is using all his experience and his own willingness to adapt to change to lead the team on it.
FROM exciting young prospect coming through the ranks at Leeds Rhinos to captaining a Salford Red Devils side currently facing a transitional period.
Or from Grand Final glory with Leeds and England World Cup heartbreak, to financial strife at Salford, forcing the Red Devils to trim their squad and lose many of the star names that have earned to club such praise over the last couple of years.
Kallum Watkins really has seen it all.
If ever a club needed their skipper to stand up, be counted and lead the way, it’s now, and it’s a challenge Watkins is ready to take head-on after being handed the role ahead of last season.
“All the adversity we’ve faced – we’ve had to find a way to turn it into a positive,” Watkins, who had a short spell in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans before joining the Red Devils in 2020, told Rugby League World.
“Pre-season was good for us and the boys all cracked on really well despite everything that was happening around us.
“Yes, of course, you want as many players in the squad as possible, but we can’t focus on that, we just need to focus on what we know we need to do better.
“As players, we can’t control any of the stuff that is happening off the field, we can only focus on the games and doing our jobs in them. As long as we all go out and do that, and do it for each other, then we believe we have a good enough squad to have some success.
“We have got to gain that belief in each other and know that anyone who pulls on a Salford jersey will do it proud because we all just want to be part of something that the club and fans can be proud of.
“I had a spell in my career where the expectation was to win and be lifting trophies all the time. So having had that experience at Leeds has made me embrace this challenge even more. What a story it would be if Salford were to win a trophy – that is the drive that I can get across to the side.
“It is an honour to captain this club. I grew up watching them as a kid so I have that emotional connection to the role and I know how it feels to always have that underdog tag attached to the club.
“I just want these players to believe that we can achieve something special regardless of whatever position or situation we’re put in. Every team is going to face some sort of adversity at some point, and it’s how you deal with that that makes the difference.”
The departures of Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers to Leeds as a result of the delicate financial situation, coupled with the unexpected losses of Ken Sio and Joe Burgess for personal and disciplinary reasons respectively, saw much of Salford’s punch in attack wave goodbye.
But with Cade Cust, Nene Macdonald, Ethan Ryan and recent signing David Nofoaluma among the arrivals, a new, and different, dimension has been added to the side that has become known for their entertainment value and open style of play over the last couple of years.
But for Watkins, this change in personnel doesn’t necessarily mean a change in aspirations for a side that made the Grand Final in 2019, the 2020 Challenge Cup Final as well as the Super League play-offs semi-finals once again in 2022.
“There have been a lot of changes this year, but we saw a lot of that coming so we prepared early for it and it meant that, in pre-season, we were able to rip in and focus on what we want to get better at.
“Losing two key players in Brodie and Andy was a big hit for us and it will have a big impact on our team, but it was also an opportunity for us to bring some new players in that will fit into how we play and help make us into not just a better team, but also a different team.
“Cade, for example, has come from a Wigan team that isn’t always expansive in how they play, but how they play works for them. Whereas here, he’ll get the chance to express himself a bit more and give himself a bit more freedom. And then there is Nene, who is so natural in what he does. He’s exciting to watch and his game will complement what we’re trying to do.
“So we may have lost some big names, but we’ve brought in some real potential who can really add to us.
“Every team wants to be successful, every team wants to win trophies, but you’ve got to go through the journey to get there. Every team’s journey is different and it’s all about how you respond to adversity you face. For us, we’re just continuing to learn as a group.
“Yes we’ve had some changes this year, but we still have a core group of players that have been here for the last few years and know what it means to the club, and themselves, to be successful and they all want to be better.
“We came close to making play-offs last year despite having a bad run towards the end, but that showed a lot of resilience and that has shown us what we are capable of.
“Salford have always had that underdogs tag attached to them, but over the last couple of years we have been known as the entertainers and hopefully that will continue.
“But we’ve got to keep producing the goods on the field as the proof will be in the pudding.”
But it has not just being at the club that Watkins has experienced big changes recently.
After making his name as a speedy centre, age, and perhaps coach Paul Rowley’s style of play, has seen the 33-year-old emerge as a powerful pack man – with a move to the second row seemingly confirmed this year by hanging up his long-term number 3 shirt, and now seeing the number 12 adorning his back instead.
“It has been a big move over the last couple of years and it’s not always been easy, but I do see myself as a forward now,” added Watkins.
“When Rowls (coach Paul Rowley) made that change I was coming back from a long-term knee injury and it was a good opportunity for me to try out that move.
“The first couple of months went really well and it just went from there.
“Whoever you are, you’ve got to embrace challenges like that, so when Paul gave me that chance to play a different role, I took it. And now it’s all about being consistent in my performance there and using that to get the best out of my teammates.
“The change in shirt number now means that the transition is complete. It has been a bit strange playing that role for two years with a number three on my back. People were probably questioning if I was a centre or a forward, but it’s clear now – I’m a forward.
“It’s an uncompromising position to play in and it is a lot more defence, which is a big thing for me. Playing there I know that if I want to keep my spot I have to continue to play to a high standard consistently, so it will hold me to account every week.
“The style of play we have here has helped the transition as well and the way the forwards can play suits my game.
“I can still play out on the edge, get my hands on the ball and cause some problems, as I’ve always tried to do. But I’ve probably lost a yard of pace now, so still being able to play a similar role, but in the forwards, is good for me.
“So there are similarities to what I could do in the centre, but it is a tough position. Sometimes you have to play in those uncomfortable positions to get better, and I think that’s the case here.
“Nene has the number three shirt now and it is strange seeing someone else out there wearing that, but with my new number I feel like a real back-rower now.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 495 (April 2024)
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