Losing 32-6 at home to Leeds will not be a result Salford Red Devils fans look back on with too much fondness but in terms of the significance of the day itself, its importance can hardly be overstated.
Salford have, regrettably, been the story of the opening fortnight of the new Super League season for all the wrong reasons. After a winter of financial discontent in which the club had to take a £500,000 advance in central distribution money to make ends meet, there was some much-needed good news on the eve of the new campaign when the club were sold to a consortium led by the Swiss investment banker Dario Berta.
But when the Rugby Football League refused to sign off on the takeover heading into their first game against St Helens last week, the Red Devils took the controversial decision to field their reserves, given how they were still subject to salary cap constraints that left them unable to field a full-strength side.
They were beaten 82-0 and the backlash was significant, given that game was televised on the BBC, reaching a larger potential audience than Sky matches. However, with that takeover approved earlier in the week, Salford were able to start their season properly here, and begin to look forward, rather than nervously over their shoulders.
This was the start of a new and welcome chapter in their history. One of the few Super League clubs without a wealthy benefactor, they have never felt far from financial crisis. Their new chief executive, Chris Irwin, a proud Salfordian, hopes those days are now over.
“The money that’s coming in is significant and there is a bigger plan around the investment group and what they want to do with the club,” Irwin says. “My job now is to ensure our club no longer needs to be walking around cap in hand. I think we have the tools to be able to easily avoid that.”
Berta, Irwin and the new investment group have big plans, which include a possible arena being built on the land surrounding the Salford Community Stadium and transforming the club’s off-field fortunes.
On it, there is less of a need for major surgery, despite this disappointing defeat by Leeds. Salford finished fourth last year and there is optimism they can challenge again in 2025. That is despite lacking the financial muscle of clubs such as Leeds. While the Rhinos have underachieved given their spend of recent years, Salford have been the exact opposite. They now have to meet fire with fire and put themselves on an even financial footing.
But they can have no complaints about the outcome and their coach, Paul Rowley, felt he knew why his side fell short. “People have said to us that we must be buzzing to have the restrictions lifted but actually, we’re really tired,” he said after their defeat. “Our team run was flat, and this has really taken a lot out of the boys.”
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It looked likely at various points through the winter that Salford would have to sell their star talent to balance the books, a fate they managed to avoid. That should give them hope they can compete this year – and Leeds will share a similar optimism after securing their first win of the campaign.
The Rhinos have again spent big in the transfer market but the early signs look promising, with new signings such as Keenan Palasia, Ryan Hall and the game’s outstanding player, Jake Connor, taking to life at Leeds very well indeed.
Unlike Salford, who have punched above their weight with minimal expectation, there is huge pressure on the Rhinos and their head coach, Brad Arthur. Nothing is won or lost in the first two rounds of the season of course but in Arthur, Leeds have a coach with proven pedigree – and they have a squad of players that could well challenge, despite starting the season last weekend with a home defeat by Wakefield.
And for Salford, while this may well have ended in grave disappointment on the field, the fact the Red Devils have come through the most turbulent of off-seasons unscathed should, in itself, be considered cause for celebration because at some points over the winter, it looked far from certain they would make it.
