More than five years have passed since Ian Watson’s Salford Red Devils defied the odds to reach their first ever Super League Grand Final. The Red Devils had finished 11th in 2018 and they weren’t expected to do much in 2019 either with a squad put together on a tight budget.
However, Salford managed to finish third over the course of the campaign, though, and while they did lose to Wigan Warriors in the qualifying round of the play-offs, they had enough about them to see off Castleford Tigers before getting revenge on Wigan to seal a spot in the Grand Final.
Ultimately, St Helens proved too good on the night as the club won the first of what would turn out to be four Grand Finals in a row, with a 23-6 victory. However, what Salford managed to achieve in 2019 still lives long in the memory and we’ve decided to look back at what became of the 17 players that were involved at Old Trafford that night.
Niall Evalds
The full-back actually returned to Old Trafford in October with Hull KR, but his wait to win a Grand Final goes on. Now 31, Evalds left Salford at the end of the 2020 campaign to join Castleford Tigers after touching down for 111 tries in 160 appearances for the Red Devils.
He struggled with injuries at Wheldon Road but he has found traction at Craven Park, where he is preparing for his second season in red and white.
Ken Sio
Sio left Salford on compassionate grounds last year and returned to his homeland of Australia, where he has been playing in the Macarthur Conference Rugby League. He spent 2024 in the colours of Thirlmere Roosters but he’ll represent Campbelltown Collegians this time around.
Kris Welham
Welham left Salford Red Devils at the end of the 2020 season to go part time with Featherstone Rovers and work for a pest control firm in his hometown of Hull. He joined Sheffield Eagles for the 2022 and he has just come to the end of his third season with the club.
Jake Bibby
The Grand Final was Bibby’s last outing in a Salford shirt with the outside back going on to join Wigan Warriors for 2020. He spent three seasons with the Cherry and Whites, making 74 appearances and winning the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield before moving on to Huddersfield Giants. He is preparing for his third season at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Krisnan Inu
Inu spent three seasons with the Red Devils and after representing Lezignan and Leigh Leopards in 2022, he called time on his playing days. The former New Zealand international is now on the coaching staff at Salford, having penned a five-year deal with the club in July 2024.
Tui Lolohea
Lolohea joined the Red Devils midway through the 2019 season and he would stay until he joined the Giants at the end of 2021. He has spent three years in West Yorkshire now, making 82 appearances so far.
Jackson Hastings
Hastings was another to leave Salford to join Wigan Warriors after the 2019 Grand Final. He had two seasons at the Brick Community Stadium before returning to the NRL with Wests Tigers. He has been with Newcastle Knights since 2023 but he has been regularly linked with a return to Super League and with his contract expiring next year, a move back to England is a possibility.
Lee Mossop
The prop called time on his career with immediate effect in August 2021 on the back of medical advice. He made 79 appearances for the Red Devils before his exit and he now works as an agent.
Logan Tomkins
Tomkins is still only 32, but he called time on his playing career back in 2021 to work in the fire service.
Gil Dudson
Dudson left Salford Red Devils to join Catalans Dragons ahead of the 2021 Super League season but after two seasons in the south of France and a year at Warrington Wolves, he returned to the club last year on loan. The 34-year-old is now preparing to spend the 2025 season with Oldham, who have been promoted from League One to the Championship this year.
Josh Jones
The 31-year-old was another to leave Salford in the aftermath of that Old Trafford outing, with the back-rower penning a deal with Hull FC. He made just seven appearances for the Black and Whites, though, with his contract being cut short to allow him to join Huddersfield Giants. He spent three seasons with the Giants but was forced to retire due to concussion-related issues in 2023 and in July he announced he was suffering with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
George Griffin
Griffin left Salford to join Castleford Tigers ahead of the 2020 season and he remains with the club. So far he has made 88 appearances in black and amber and he still has one more year left to run on the contract he signed back in July 2022.
Tyrone McCarthy
The loose-forward, who collected 19 caps for Ireland, called him on his career in 2021 after a season with Leigh. He currently works as a coach down under with South Sydney Rabbitohs with McCarthy being the club’s pathways skill acquisition coach.
Joey Lussick
Lussick has split his time since the 2019 Grand Final between Super League and the NRL, with stints at Parramatta Eels and St Helens coming after Salford. He left the Salford Community Stadium in 2020 to join the Eels but returned to the Northern Hemisphere in 2022 to make 52 appearances with St Helens. The hooker moved back to the Eels in July 2023 and last season saw him make 20 appearances in the NRL.
Mark Flanagan
Flanagan brought the curtain down on his career a year after the Grand Final and he has spent time in the media since, he also co-owns Pot Kettle Black with Jon Wilkin, with multiple coffee shops opening up across Manchester, including Manchester Airport.
Adam Walker
The former Scotland international sadly died in 2022 at the age of 31. His death came two years after leaving Leigh in 2020. He made 25 appearances for Salford and 178 appearances at club level across the course of career.
Greg Burke
Burke went on to make 67 appearances for the Red Devils after stints with Wigan Warriors and Widnes Vikings before leaving the club to join Barrow Raiders in 2022. He spent two seasons with the Championship outfit with his release being confirmed at the end of the 2024 season.
