Can 100/1 outsiders Salford become Rugby League’s Leicester City?

Before the start of the 2019 season, Salford Red Devils were second favourites to be relegated from Super League and were priced at 100/1 to win the Grand Final.

Now, as I sit here writing this, they are just two victories away from reaching Old Trafford and there is firm belief that they can go all the way!

And who can blame them? Ian Watson’s side haven’t just defied the odds by claiming a playoff place; they finished third, ending the regular season with eight consecutive victories!

But their heroics over the last two months really couldn’t have been predicted, especially when they suffered a disappointing 36-18 home loss to relegation-threatened Huddersfield at the start of July.

It was a result that left the Red Devils looking more down than up, with only 9 wins and 12 losses from their 21 games, they were slipping into the relegation dogfight.

Having escaped the drop by the skin of their teeth in 2016, thanks to Gareth O’Brien’s famous golden-point drop-goal, Salford fans would have been forgiven for thinking they were set for another nervy end to the season.

The reason for this was one of the tightest seasons in the history of Super League, the teams in the middle of the table, such as Salford, knew they were at a crossroads.

With eight games to go it was either a winning run and playoff contention or a losing run and a relegation battle, if you had to place a bet you would have probably predicted the latter.

There was also the added pressure of having to form a new half-back partnership well into the season, with long-serving playmaker Robert Lui departing for Leeds at the end of June.

It was a move that saw Tongan international Tui Lolohea come the other way after a disappointing stint at Headingley, but he would now be partnering the mercurial Jackson Hastings in the halves, so there was definitely potential, but it was unproven.

But as it turned out things did start to click very quickly between the two, the defeat to the Giants was quickly forgotten when Salford went to the Halliwell Jones Stadium and beat Warrington on their own patch for the second time in 2019.

This was backed up with commanding wins at home to Catalans and away to London, the Red Devils were starting to build momentum, but would it last, it never normally does with Salford.

However, when they got revenge against Huddersfield at the AJ Bell Stadium and then backed that up with a huge 44-22 win away to Hull FC, the rest of the league suddenly started to take notice.

Out of nowhere Salford had five wins on the trot and were in the top five ahead of another match against Warrington, this time at home just five days after the Wolves had lifted the Challenge Cup at Wembley.

They went into the game as favourites and Ken Sio’s hat-trick helped Ian Watson’s side secure a club-record sixth-straight Super League win.

Salford then won a seventh game in a row for the first time since 1975-76 (the season of their last league championship), beating Leeds 20-12 to end a 13-game wait for a win at Headingley.

Records were tumbling left, right and centre before last week’s final regular round match against Hull KR, the Robins needing a win to guarantee safety.

As it turned out, London’s defeat meant Rovers would survive anyway but Warrington’s loss at Leeds meant victory for Salford would secure their best ever Super League finish of third.

Such has been Salford’ form though, even defeat to Wigan won’t spell the end as they have earned a second chance by finishing third.

However, victory at the DW Stadium and they would travel to league leaders’ St Helens next week knowing a win there would put them in the Grand Final.

It seems incredible saying that given the majority of pundits predicted Salford to finish 11th at the start of the season, and just two months ago they weren’t even considered playoff contenders.

If they do go all the way and win their first league championship for 43 years, then this Salford team will be Rugby League’s equivalent of the Leicester City side that won the 2015-2016 Premier League title, despite pre-season odds of up to 5000/1.

Although it might not get the headlines of Leicester’s fairytale, it would be a remarkable story for Super League and you can’t rule the Red Devils out.

With Man of Steel favourite Jackson Hastings in their ranks, Salford have every chance of becoming only the fifth team to lift the Super League trophy at Old Trafford next month.