Forget the regular season, forget previous games, this was the end of season play-offs as fourth placed Salford Red Devils looked to progress after a great season as they took on a Leigh Leopards side who have cast aside all those in front of them after a terrible start to the season to end up in fifth place.

Despite finishing the season lower in the table, the bookies made the visitors slight favourites as they came into the game on the back of an excellent run of form and handicapped them by two points on the coupon.

Salford won the first 2024 meeting between the two sides back in March by ten points, but have since being thrashed twice by the Leopards, most recently at the Magic Weekend when they lost by 26-0.

In beating Hull KR a couple of weeks ago, Wigan knew that the league leader’s trophy was theirs to lose and that they were masters of their own destinies, but tonight was the day that they would be crowned as their opponents, the Salford Red Devils, had raised the white flag.

Salford have already cemented their place in the play-off’s and the only issue to settle is whether they will be at home, or away, to St Helens in the opening week so Paul Rowley elected to make wholesale changes to his seventeen to rest his key squad members ahead of that clash next weekend.

Salford were such outsiders for the win, with no less than eight debutants named, that they were given a forty-point start on the coupon as the Wigan fans licked their lips at the likelihood of a cricket score for their boys with a trophy lifting at the end of it.

A victory over Hull FC would confirm Salford Red Devils in the top six play-offs for the end of season jamboree and would also lift them up to fourth in the table, two points clear of St Helens with one game of the regular season to play.

Hull FC, on the other hand, were still looking to avoid the wooden spoon and a win on the road would be only their four victory in a woeful season but would see them favourites to avoid finishing in twelfth spot.

Salford were massive favourites with the bookies, the Airlie Birds given no chance of scraping the win and embarrassing their hosts, the Red Devils expected to rack up a big winning margin.

A Saturday evening shoot out in Salford saw the Red Devils and Catalans Dragons lock horns for what was, essentially, a decider for the top six and a play-off spot as both sides started the game outside the six but in the knowledge that a win for Salford would lift them into fourth while a Dragons victory would put them into seventh behind the Rhinos on points difference only.

Sam Tomkins was back on the bench for the Dragons who are in free fall in recent weeks and who were the underdogs with the bookies against a Salford side who had only won once in their last four outings after a great season which had seen them a permanent fixture in the top six.

One side would be very disappointed at the end of the eighty minutes.

While the Huddersfield are playing for nothing more than pride on 2024, the would take great pleasure in plunging the Salford Red Devils deeper into angst about whether they would make the top six at the end of the season as they try to hold their spot with the weakest of the points differences amongst the five sides competing for three berths.

Both sides have lost three of their last five games and the Red Devils were handicapped by just four points on the coupon illustrating the difficulty that the bookies were having picking out a winner.

The early evening sun welcomed the two sides to the field for an interesting fixture.

St Helens broke a five-game losing streak last weekend with a comprehensive win over a desperately poor Hull FC side and came into tonight’s fourth against fifth challenge against the Salford Red Devils looking for a win which would lift them above their visitors on points difference.

A place in the top six is still very much on the cards for both sides, but the jostle for positions at the end of round twenty-seven is still very much alive with both sides wanting to finish as high up the ladder as they can.

St Helens were the favourites with the bookies having been handicapped by eight points on the coupon.

A critical round twenty game for both sides saw sixth placed Salford Red Devils hosted a Leeds Rhinos side who sit in seventh place and who know that their task of achieving a top six position, and a play-off place would look almost impossible should they lose this encounter, a result which would see Salford into fourth.

Salford were the slight favourites for the win with the bookies but with the Rhinos only being given a two-point start on the handicap coupon there was clearly very little to choose between the two sides with the ‘Brad Arthur factor’ still to be determined.

It was ‘make or break’ time for both sides, the scene was set for a corker of a game.

Salford Red Devils knew that a win in round nineteen was crucial to their top six aspirations with a win over the much-improved Castleford Tigers able to take them clear of the pack of two other teams being chased down by the Leeds Rhinos for the sixth play-off place.

While Salford lost their last two outings, Castleford have won their last three matches and were keen on a fourth on the bounce, a win for the Tigers would see them up above the Huddersfield Giants and into a ninth place which had looked a distant prospect just a few weeks ago.

The bookies had Salford as the favourites, but not by much, with an eight-point start on the coupon for the visitors.

The final game of the round saw fifth placed Salford Red Devils make the long journey south to play the Catalans Giants who started the game in sixth pace but knew that a win would lift them above their opponents.

Salford had their eyes on getting to twenty-four points to lift them above St Helens and onto the same total as Hull KR and Warrington Wolves in second spot in the table, a loss for the Dragons would leave them anxiously looking over their shoulders at Leeds with a play-off place still at risk.

The bookies gave the Dragons a six-point handicap on the coupon making then slight favourites to pick up the points.

Fresh from their second league win of the season, the underachieving Hull FC made the trip across the Pennines to take on a Salford Red Devils side who are exceeding expectations after a player drain and well documented financial difficulties.

A win for Salford, as predicted by the bookies and the pundits, would put the Red Devils back into fifth spot and level on league points with the second placed St Helens while FC need three wins to get them above Castleford, should Castleford fail to register any more victories.

FC had a twelve-point start on the coupon, the bookies predicting a closer game than many pundits.

A Sunday afternoon cracker to complete round fifteen as St Helens made the short trip to Salford looking for the win to return to joint top of the table as they took on a Red Devils side who needed the win to reduce the points gap between themselves and the top sides.

Paul Rowley’s side were initially unchanged with Ryan Brierley still out with a rib injury but a warm injury for Tim Lafai saw Loghan Lewis brought into the starting line-up, while Paul Wellens made just one change as he brought in Bennison for Makinson who is out with a medium-term foot injury.

Saints were the favourites for the win with the bookies handicapping them by eight points on the coupon but this was a game billed as the best fixture of the weekend as Salford looked to complete a 2024 double over their visitors.

After a disappointing Wembley outing last weekend, the Warrington Wolves attention returned to Super League and a chance to get back to winning ways against a tricky and unpredictable Salford Red Devils as the Halliwell-Jones played host to a top half of the table clash.

A win for the Wolves would keep them in contention at the top end of the table, but a loss would see them slip away from the top contenders and level on points with their visitors.

Warrington were big favourites with the bookies for a bounce back win as Salford were given a ten-point start on the coupon, despite their week off to regroup and recover from any niggles.

Another Sunday afternoon, another loss for the London Broncos, and another win for the Salford Red Devils as they retake their place in the top six which had been temporarily lost to the Leeds Rhinos yesterday teatime, or so all the pundits, fans, and bookmakers predicted.

Having made the journey to the AJ Bell Stadium, London were given a thirty-two-point start on the handicap coupon as a landslide victory was predicted for the Red Devils on a glorious afternoon in Salford.

A win for Salford would lift them back to sixth spot in the table, two clear of the Rhinos in seventh, a win of any type for the visitors would lift them off the bottom of the table and push Hull FC into the basement position.

It’s just eleven miles between the home stadia of the Leigh Leopards and Salford Red Devils but a massive nine points on the Super League 2024 table as the home side look to build on the single point which they picked up in last weekend’s draw with the Castleford Tigers while Salford knew that a win would keep them joint top of a congested table.

The bookies had made the home side slight favourites for the win and handicapped them by six points on the coupon but the recent news of the departures of Asiata and Hardaker to Hull FC must have caused some disquiet in the ranks.

Salford won the encounter between the two sides in March by 36-24 but despite the gulf in table points, this was likely to be a close encounter.

Making the short trip to the Salford Community Stadium in Salford, the Warrington Wolves had one eye on the top of the table, but the other looking over their shoulder at Salford in the knowledge that a victory would see them move above St Helens while a reversal of great magnitude could see them drop below their opponents on points difference.

The Wolves were slight favourites for the win with the bookmakers, but the Red Devils were only given a four-point start on the handicap coupon, most commentators were unsure of the outcome with both clubs realistic prospects for a top six finish.

After yesterday’s shock reversals in round nine, anything could happen.

The East Lancashire Road derby pitted the Salford Red Devils against the Leigh Leopards in an Easter Saturday early evening kick off as the side in seventh pace hosted their historical rivals who are currently in ninth after both sides have had an indifferent start to the season.

One of these sides would give their season a kick start with a precious win, the other would remain in the doldrums, the bookies made the home side the slight favourites but after only handicapping them by two points on the coupon they didn’t believe that there would be very much in it.

It was the first time that the two sides had met in 2024, with plenty up to grabs.

With the sides level on points at the top of the table but separated by a massive seventy-one points difference and five league positions, the winner of tonight’s clash between the Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors would be two points clear at the top of the table.

Wigan are unbeaten so far in 2024, having played a game less than their opponents, while Salford have won three from their four games, including the shock scalp of St Helens in an away fixture for the first time in decades.

But Wigan were the strong favourites, to take the win and maintain an all competition fourteen game, winning streak running all the way back to 23rd of July 2023 when the Warriors lost to Hull KR in the Challenge Cup Semi Final.

Hull Kingston Rovers had their eyes on the top of the table as they travelled to a soggy Greater Manchester to take on a Salford Red Devils side who were looking to spoil the visitors one hundred percent start to the season, and go back above the Leeds Rhinos into the top half of the table.

A win of any description would lift KR into second, a big points win would see them finish the round in top spot and they were favourites with the bookies to take the points off Salford, the home side getting eight points start on the coupon.

Salford lost Ryan Brierley prior to kick off with a hamstring issue, Chris Atkin stepping into his shoes at full back for the hosts.

Two sides with opening round defeats had a Sunday afternoon encounter to complete the round two fixtures as the Salford Red Devils were visited by the Castleford Tigers with the home side hot favourites for the win after running the Leeds Rhinos close last weekend.

Salford had Joe Shorrocks in for an injured Oliver Partington while the Tigers had an unchanged starting thirteen from the side which lost heavily to the Wigan Warriors in the opening round.

The Tigers were given a twelve-point start on the handicap coupon, very few people could see beyond a Salford win.

The vagaries of the fixture computer threw together Leeds Rhinos and the Salford Red Devils with Paul Rowley’s side having to face their two key play makers of 2023 in the colours of their opponents, with Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers making their Rhinos debuts.

It was a new look Rhinos side with several arrivals, and departures, over the close season and Salford had to look to build again in 2024 after losing a few of their key players over the winter.

The visitors were given a big ten-point start on the handicap coupon with the bookies and pundits alike giving them little chance of a first round win, but that’s exactly the odds that the Red Devils like and Rohan Smith will have warned his charges about complacency as his Leeds side look to live up to pre-season expectations.