It has been confirmed that one of Salford Red Devils’ overseas players is set to make a return to Australia in the next few weeks.
The Red Devils have lost numerous stars in recent weeks on account of the club trying desperately to balance their books whilst they work through their financial issues.
That has seen Marc Sneyd, Brad Singleton, Tim Lafai and most recently Kallum Watkins leave the club as they bid to balance their books.
Lafai returned home Down Under to reunite with his wife and the same can be said of another current Salford Red Devils star, although it will not be a permanent return.
Nene Macdonald, who is currently on loan with Oldham in the Championship, will head back to Australia in the coming days to be with his wife who is set to give birth.
Salford Red Devils star set for return to Australia
That has been confirmed by Oldham’s managing director Mike Ford, who was speaking on BBC Radio Manchester ahead of the club’s Championship clash against Featherstone Rovers.
Oldham beat Featherstone 30-28 in one of the Championship’s best games this season but they had also been drawn against Rovers in the 1895 Cup semi-final draw, just 45 minutes before kick off.
Reacting to that news, Ford explained how the club’s plethora of former Super League stars would prove invaluable, stating: “When you do your recruitment, you’ve got to balance your squad between experience of people who have been there and done that, especially in this competition, but also blend it with youth.
“You also need the star dust though and Nene Macdonald, a Super League Dream Team (centre) in 2024, and one of the best in Super League is going to be playing for us for the next two weeks before he goes back to Australia for his wife to have a baby.
“He is star dust for us and hopefully, he can be the difference today.”
Macdonald would help prove the difference as he scored and the Roughyeds won but news of his return Down Under is a key update as well, with the centre set to leave some time after the club’s Good Friday clash with Widnes.
Currently, Macdonald does not fit on the Red Devils’ restricted salary cap and that’s seen Salford loan him out. However, there is hope that in May, when Macdonald would likely be returning from Australia, funds will finally drop into Salford and that cap limit would lift.
As such, there is a chance and hope for the Red Devils that Macdonald will be able to return from Australia and walk straight into their squad, however, funds have been promised since the initial takeover in February so that is not guaranteed.
Oldham hoping to make Wembley history
As for Ford and Oldham, they will likely have to contest the 1895 Cup semi-finals without Nene Macdonald given that the the Papua New Guinean will be either in Australia or possibly returning to the Red Devils.
Oldham will host Featherstone Rovers on either the 17th or 18th of May with York Knights hosting Bradford Bulls in the other semi-final. The winners will meet at Wembley on June 7th, a prospect that Ford has spoken about.
Reacting to the draw, he said: “All you can ask for is a home tie and we’ve got that. Every team would have been tough.
“Anybody who doesn’t know our history, we’ve never played at Wembley. We’ve played in six Challenge Cup finals, winning three and losing three, but since it went to Wembley in 1929 we’ve lost seven semi-finals – two that I played in.
“The rugby club, 150 years old in 2026, is one that has never played at Wembley. This is our best chance ever of getting there.”
