London Broncos may have caught the eye because of their performances in Super League this season, however, the actual team of the contest in 2019 have been Salford Red Devils.
Despite having a playing budget and resources dwarfed by the top sides in the contest, also being tipped for another year fighting to avoid relegation by several pundits at the start of the calendar year, Ian Watson’s negative ended the regular season and are preparing for the play-offs.
Those performances have observed the former Wales international nominated for Super League’s coach of the year award along with Broncos counterpart Danny Ward, boss of runaway leaders St Helens Justin Holbrook and Warrington Wolves’ Steve Price.
Sky Sports talked to the former Wales international before Friday’s qualifying final off to Wigan Warriors, with Watson providing an insight to what shaped him as a trainer, the way this Salford staff have been moulded and exactly what the future holds for the club…
Following something of acting career, Watson had been handed his first opportunity when he was appointed player-coach of Swinton Lions for the 2014 Championship season to be in charge of a group.
Combining those two duties is a big enough job on its own, never mind in a team that is part-time where finances are tight and this coach’s responsibilities go beyond choosing on the team for a match-day and simply coordinating the training sessions.
Having to turn his hands helped provide the ideal start in coaching to Watson , but instructing him some lessons he took with him Iestyn Harris arrived phoning in July that year requesting him to join Salford as his helper.
“I think coaches that are at the Championship need to handle different things and I believe that is why Salford satisfied me,” Watson told Sky Sports.
“You do not only look after the coaching side, when the the kitman need something you need to help out – it is just rolling your sleeves up and helping out each other.
“The Championship moulded me not needing to what you look at, open your eyes and have a little look at all in the surroundings as well.”
Swinton arrangement with Warrington at the time meant Watson managed to tap into Super League and Challenge Cup-winning head coach Tony Smith’s knowledge .
He stays grateful at that time the Kingston Rovers boss together with being able to bounce off ideas Smith’s fellow Australian and World Cup winner Tim Sheens when he had been as director of rugby at Salford spent advising him.
Being some iconic names when he made his way as a young expert participant gave advice he has managed to transfer into coaching to Watson.
The young half-back cum hooker found himself playing with Great Britain internationals Steve Hampson and David Hulme after being plucked from club Eccles by Salford at 1995.
Playing during their respective charms under John Harvey and Australians Garry Jack Wigan excellent Andy Gregory as head coaches in The Willows, proved invaluable as well.
“They’re really those who form you and force you to know what being a professional is all about,” Watson.
“Wigan were full-time back then but Salford were not, therefore when Steve Hampson arrived in he really drove the standards high and you needed to buy into that or you’d get kicked from the bunch.
“It was a lot more ruthless in that environment at the time, however, it showed a different strategy and how you ought to be a football league player too.
“I was really blessed in coming forwards by some of those men that I got to perform together or be coached by.”
Head coaches need to take care of the wide variety of downs and ups Salford have been since Watson took over as head trainer, initially before making the job 41, in an interim basis when Harris left late.
The club’s owner departing, points deductions along with relegation battles have all occurred during the last few years, but the 42-year-old has retained to the task of building a team capable of challenging at the right end of the Super League table.
Even this season has not been without disturbance and Robert Lui – the conducting style of that his team had been formed by Watson around – was divided when the latter transferred into Leeds Rhinos mid-season.
However, Tui Lolohea, who joined the Red Devils from Leeds as a part of that bargain, has shown the perfect fit alongside Hastings.
Watson has invented a system which attracts the best out them, but has enabled the Super League Krisnan Inu Niall Evalds along with Joey Lussick to thrive.
“I enjoy coaching and love being about rugby players too, and occasionally it’s discovering their strengths and listening to them rather than just saying’this is the way we play and we’ll play like that irrespective’,” Watson explained.
“You’ve got to look at the individual and the participant, and attempt to mould a game-plan around the gamers.
“What we have done this year, we had running half-backs at Robert Lui and Jacko so we wanted to build the backbone around the men running – that matches Tui.
“Though losing Robbie had been a disturbance, earning Tui gave us a similar sort of participant so we did not need to change a lot of things.”
Whatever occurs in the play-offs, which start with the trip to Wigan Warriors of Friday live Sky Sports, Watson knows Salford will face something of a task throughout the off-season.
Influential half-back Hastings is departing to join with their play-off competitions, whereas George Griffin and Derrell Olpherts both are crossing the Pennines having agreed copes with Castleford Tigers.
Watson and Ian Bleasedirector of rugby and operations at the Red Devils, have been hard at work though, agreeing deals with Wigan and England center Dan Sarginson, plus Hull KR pair Joe Greenwood and Chris Atkin.
Not having the ability to spend up to their whole salary cap allocation has observed Salford scour the Championship for concealed talents as well which has paid off, even using mid-season recruit Josh Johnson demonstrating an astute signing after dropping from Super League in the beginning of the year to find game-time using Barrow Raiders.
He will be joined Jack Ormondroyd and by Featherstone Rovers duo Connor Jones in the AJ Bell Stadium in 2020, and Watson is determined to guarantee the club reaches an attractive prospect to pursue their own livelihood at.
“I think because the way we have gone over the past four-and-a-half years as a group, individuals are believing’it is not really a poor spot there and it’s worthwhile going there’,” Watson said.
“In the close of the year we will most likely have to rebuild again because we’re going to lose some of our guys. Thus what we’ve got to do is recruit smartly and be sure continue pushing for the play-offs and we can attempt to keep this high end of your table up.
“Hopefully, that will create more sponsorship and more folks coming from the gates, because they’ll see us as a attractive team to see. Then hopefully we can get more players into purchasing into signing up for Salford.”