Salford Red Devils have finally seen their salary cap limit lifted meaning Paul Rowley can name a full-strength squad against Leeds Rhinos.
We’ve tried to predict how Rowley’s side will line up with Salford set to be massively different from their Round One squad that got rolled 82-0 by St Helens.
Of that team, just a handful remain including Kai Morgan, Tiaki Chan and Joe Bullock, and we’ve only predicted two of those to feature in today’s matchday squad.
The new Red Devils’ CEO sent a message out to the club’s fans last night declaring that club is heading in the right direction, something that will be music to the ears of Salford fans.
Based on their 20-man squad, we’ve predicted how they could line up against Leeds Rhinos. You can see the predicted Rhinos side here.
Predicted Salford Red Devils squad
Full-back: Ryan Brierley
Brierley is the club’s clear number one and is one of Paul Rowley’s favourite players, having paired with him at Toronto Wolfpack as well.
Winger: Nene Macdonald
With Ethan Ryan missing and the good problem to have that Salford have three incredible centres, it’s former Leeds Rhinos man Nene Macdonald who shifts to the wing for the Red Devils.
Centre: Esan Marsters
One of those three incredible centres is new signing Esan Marsters with the Cook Islands international impressing massively during his sole season with Huddersfield. His playstyle should blend perfectely at Salford.
Centre: Tim Lafai
Tim Lafai is still one of the competition’s most dominant centres with his offload game arguably the very best in Super League.
Winger: Deon Cross
Deon Cross was reportedly subject to attention from Hull FC but he remains a Red Devil for 2025 with the 28-year-old now approaching 100 appearances for Salford.
Stand-off: Jayden Nikorima
Nikorima joined mid-season in 2024 and you get the sense that with a full pre-season, he could be incredibly special.
Scrum-half: Marc Sneyd
Sneyd is the best in-play kicker in the competition and his goalkicking isn’t bad either. A Man of Steel finalist in 2025, he was another who attracted attention when it looked like Salford might have to sell.
Prop: Chris Hill
Another recruit from Huddersfield Giants. Hill brings plenty of experience with the England international one of a handful of players to play over 300 Super League games.
Hooker: Chris Atkin
Joe Mellor is missing but Chris Atkin is a very handy deputy and is actually a hooker by trade, as opposed to Mellor who has been Paul Rowley’s utility man.
Prop: Brad Singleton
Singleton gets the nod to start against his former team with Salford potentially able to overpower a Leeds pack that is missing Mik Oledzki and debuting Cooper Jenkins.
Second-row: Kallum Watkins
The Red Devils captain has reinvented himself as one of Super League’s best second-rowers in recent years.
Second-row: Shane Wright
If fit, Wright is a lock in this position. He regularly goes under the radar but is an absolute workhorse.
Loose forward: Joe Shorrocks
Another of Paul Rowley’s favourite utility players but with Oliver Partington departing this year, Shorrocks could find himself a home at loose forward.
Interchanges: Jack Ormondroyd, Justin Sangare, Joe Bullock, Kai Morgan
We’ve opted with three forwards on the bench with the idea being that Leeds pack is depleted and struggled against a Wakefield pack missing some key players. Kai Morgan is the sole back with the youngster able to spell at hooker and drop into the halves if required.
𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦! 😎 pic.twitter.com/jP9nkjm8qN
— Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) February 20, 2025
