Salford Red Devils coach Paul Rowley says he has a strong and sizeable squad to select from as he tries to spoil Lee Radford’s first match in charge of Castleford.
Friday’s trip to Yorkshire is also Rowley’s first game at the Red Devils’ helm after succeeding Richard Marshall.
The former Leigh and Toronto coach has been at Salford in a consultancy role since August 2019, when Ian Watson was team chief and the club made the Grand Final.
The Red Devils finished second bottom in Super League in 2021, with just seven wins from their 22 matches.
And Rowley pledged: “I want to lift standards at the club throughout and create a different environment, one that walks a little taller.”
Salford have signed halfbacks Marc Sneyd and Brodie Croft from Hull and Brisbane Broncos respectively, Fijian forward King Vuniyayawa from Leeds, Wigan hooker Amir Bourouh, Warrington prop Sitaleki Akauola, North Queensland Cowboys backrow Shane Wright, fullback or halfback Ryan Brierley and forward Alex Gerrard from Leigh, Widnes winger Deon Cross and Samoa and former NRL centre Tim Lafai.
And Rowley, who gave Bourouh and Lafai a run-out in former Red Devils favourite Lee Mossop’s testimonial at Warrington on Friday, says the new players have integrated well.
“Castleford may be a little bit too soon for Tim,” he said of the experienced former St George Illawarra Dragon and Canterbury Bulldogs player.
“We’ve had a few little niggles, but nothing out of the ordinary, and we’ll have a strong and sizeable squad available.”
Rowley says he has especially enjoyed working with Cross, the 25-year-old former St Helens junior who, on his release, returned to the community game before playing for Rochdale, Barrow and Widnes, for whom he scored 18 tries in 25 outings last season.
“He has come on in leaps and bounds since he’s been with us and stepped up a gear in the warm-up games against Swinton and Halifax,” he explained.
“Deon is very coachable, because he’s receptive and eager to learn, and he has a lot of common sense about things in general.
“He knows he has a great opportunity at this club and he’s determined not to waste it.”
Rowley reckons Castleford are an unknown quantity at this stage.
“They have a new coach and new personnel, and their pre-season games have been against lower-division clubs in York and Doncaster, so it’s difficult to get a gauge of how they are developing,” he added.
“We’ve obviously had a look at them and it’s clear they have a good spine. And I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better group as an attacking force anywhere in the league.”