Play off review #3 - A lot can change in a year, just ask Salford!

A lot can change in the course of a year. Just ask any Salford fan. On this very weekend 12 months ago, Thursday 27 September to be precise, it was the final week of the season, and Salford were yet to secure their Super League status for the 2019 season. They needed a win to guarantee it and after an early scare, Salford ran out comprehensive winners against Toulouse.

This year, on Thursday 26 September, they were at home again albeit in very different circumstances. Instead of facing Championship side Toulouse, they were facing Castleford in the Super League play offs. Last year, the prize was survival. This year, the prize was getting another step closer to the Grand Final, within 80 minutes to be precise.

It is worth taking a moment to pause and reflect. What a turnaround that is. It would be impressive for any side, let alone a side like Salford. Their fanbase is not the largest, their academy is not the most famed (although they have produced several Super League stars), their financial might is not the greatest.

They have suffered adversity this season too. They lost their starting stand off Robert Lui to Leeds (getting Tui Lolohea in return). They have also lost highly-rated coach Martin Gleeson to rugby union mid-season and one of their leading analysts to Blackburn Rovers.

The more that Salford impressed, the more attention their players have attracted. Some of their better players have been picked off for 2020. Jackson Hastings and Jake Bibby are will leave for Wigan, meanwhile dream-team member Josh Jones is going to Hull FC.

These departures and impending departures could have derailed what was a promising season. It is great credit to Ian Watson, his staff and his players that they have not allowed this to happen.

On to the match itself and Salford did not show any nerves that you may have expected to have been present in a must win game. Instead, the opposite appeared true. The close-defeat against Wigan last week appeared to give them belief.

Salford were dominant in their victory against Castleford and by the time they took an early 12-0 lead, the likelihood of a Castleford win was evaporating. Salford’s belief would have been even greater when Niall Evalds made a brilliant cover tackle to deny Jordan Rankin a try that would have brought Castleford back into the game.

Salford played a more patient game in the second half. They knew that defensive efforts win play off matches. They knew that a 14-0 lead should be a winning lead as long as they remained resolute. That proved to be the case, they did not attempt to win the game twice and simply allowed Castleford to force the issue. Salford did not crack. They remained patient and Castleford could not land a blow.

Instead it was Salford who had the final word through a Jackson Hastings try. It had to be him didn’t it? It was a perfect way to bring the curtain down on his final home appearance for Salford. He has been at Salford for less than two years, but he is a player that their fans will talk about for years to come.

As for Castleford, it was a disappointing way to finish the season. When Luke Gale was ruled out for the season at its start, I suspect that Castleford fans may have seen getting to week 2 of the play offs as an acceptable season.

There are certainly encouraging signs. Castleford showed a different style this year. Their attack was a lot more clunky and it was their defence that took them to the play offs and beyond the first week.

Castleford will feel with more luck on the injury front in 2020 and a potential half back combination of Jake Trueman and Danny Richardson (if rumours prove to be true), that there are reasons to be optimistic.

We highlighted that so much has changed for Salford in the course of 12 months at the start of this blog. There is one example though where nothing has changed. In both 2018 and 2019, Salford won their final home game of the season and at the end of the game, star man Jackson Hastings found himself mobbed by adoring fans.

In 2019 though, the Salford story has not finished. They have either one or two games remaining depending on results. Salford travel to Wigan for a semi final on Friday night with a Grand Final spot up for grabs. The greatest tribute to Salford is that it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they will win the game on Friday and be walking down Sir Matt Busby Way the following week…

Match Highlights