Super League Preview: Salford

In the last of our previews of the new Super League season, we head to the Willows to look at the Salford City Reds.








Salford are a club on the up. With a new stadium around the corner the club are looking to the future and if last season was anything to go by, the club are also progressing on the field.

After being tipped for the drop by many alleged experts, Karl Harrison went and led his side to their first play-off place in their Super League history. The season may have ended on a sour note with a heavy defeat at Bradford, but the Reds certainly earned the respect that came their way.

Next year will be tougher. Teams will certainly be aware of what they are capable of, if they weren't already, and after having the lowest gates last season, their salary cap spending power is somewhat limited against that of their rivals.

Nevertheless, Luke Dorn, Michael Korkidas and Gray Viane have arrived in Greater Manchester along with Mark Edmonson from Sydney Roosters to strengthen the side whilst the key losses will be Andrew Dunemann and Sean Rugertson.

Repeating last year's feats may be difficult for the Reds, but this is a side I tipped for the drop last year.
The competition is stronger and as a result, Salford will struggle to make their second play-off series.

The One Pointer Prediction: 8th
Player to watch: Luke Dorn - can he repeat the form that he showed at Quins?

The One Pointer Final League Table
1. Hull FC
2. St Helens
3. Leeds Rhinos
4. Bradford Bulls
5. Wigan Warriors
6. Huddersfield Giants
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7. Warrington Wolves
8. Salford City Reds
9. Harlequins
10 Les Catalans Dragons
11. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
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12 Hull KR

Grounds for Celebration

With 2009 just over three years away and deadline day for Super League franchises fast approaching, clubs are eagerly sprucing up their grounds or upping sticks altogether.

Last week, Salford City Reds finally saw an end to their long-running planning saga as a Government equiry finally granted permission for the club to move to the 20,000 capacity City of Salford Stadium at Barton.
The £130m project next to the M60 wil include retail units a hotel and resteraunt, will finally allow Salford to move away from the notorious Weaste area which is often bemoaned by visiting supporters who have been witness to vandalised property and assaults on supporters by local youths.
Invariably, the Salford club and their supporters were unfairly tarred with the same brush as the local dellinquents and this stadium will go a long way to restoring their reputation amongst supporters.

Some 70 miles away in Doncaster, the Dragons are all set to move into their new home, the Lakeside Stadium.
The 15,000 seater facility, which will be shared with Doncaster Rovers FC, will give South Yorkshire a geniune Rugby League stadium and will certainly be the envy of the National Leagues and possible even in 2009, Super League.

Not only that, but both venues are further possibilities for RFL events. Hopefully well no longer see Challenge Cup semi-finals at Odsal.

With Castleford and St Helens both pushing plans for new grounds forward, Leeds and Bradford undertaking refurbishments of their homes, the future looks much more comfortable for a Rugby supporter.

But whilst the story may be a possitive one, it serves as a stark reminder to other clubs to get their act together. With clubs outside the elite showing progress, the less progressive in Super League need to get their act together or risk being left behind.

The Super League Shirt Parade

Christmas is on the way and it's the time of year when Super League clubs start releasing the brand new kits that there players will be modeling next season.

Here at the One Pointer, we take a peak as they are officially unvieled and run the rule over the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Bradford Bulls
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Harlequins RL
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Huddersfield Giants
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Hull FC
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Hull KR
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Leeds Rhinos
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St Helens
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Salford City Reds
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Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
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Warrington Wolves
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Wigan Warriors
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Like any of the kits you see? Why not see it's stocked by our partners?

Looking Upwards

Now that the likes of Wakefield, Wigan and Castleford have finished stealing the limelight and dragging down the rest of the league with them, we can now actually begin the play-off series and a celebration of success.

This weekend sees the games elite rightfully taking back the spotlight as the best that the engage Super League 2006 has had to offer takes centre stage, starting at Headingley on Friday night.

With the top two, St Helens and Hull earning the week off for their superior league position, it's up to Leeds, Bradford, Salford and Warrington to tough it out in the knock-out stages of the play-offs.
The Rhinos take on the Wolves at Headingley on Friday night, a side they beat by 54 points to 16 only three weeks ago and the out of sorts Bulls take on Salford, making their play-off debut after a what will be considered a superb season by all concerned at the Willows.

This years series could be intriguing to say the least. Unlike last year when the Bulls hit the play-offs running to take the Championship from third place, no team, St Helens excepted, is really hitting form.
Warrington are consistently inconsistent, Hull have lost the last two, Salford have faultered lately and could find themselves out of their depth rubbing shoulders with the countries elite, the Bulls are out of sorts and Leeds' good results against Warrington and Les Catalans sandwiched a 60-point capitulation at Knowsley Road.
As for St Helens, they look unstopable but as they found out last season, first place and a minor premiership does not guarantee a Grand Final berth and Phil Clarke's comments on Boots 'n' All that Daniel Anderson's men have a "defeat in them" has got a few analyists stroking their chins in curiosity.

For the first time in many weeks, Sky viewers should witness games of the standard that should befit the games flagship competition, not the mistake-ridden niggle-a-thons that have blighted our screens lately.
All the possible games have an element of intrigue about them. Each side is capable of beating each other and each set of supporters will be looking at how the play-offs work, believing that they have at least a small chance of making their way to Old Trafford on October 14th.

On a side-note, congratulations are due to Batley for their magnificent upset at Hilton Park to end Leigh Centurions' season.