How ‘manic week’ led to Sneyd’s Salford homecoming

Marc Sneyd was on holiday when he received a phone call that would set in motion a series of events that culminated in a whirlwind transfer from Hull FC to Salford Red Devils.

With still a year remaining on his contract at the MKM Stadium, the 30-year-old had initially been planning on spending 2022 with the club he had been at for the past six years, winning the Challenge Cup twice and becoming one of their key players.

But when his phone rang while enjoying some downtime last week with the Red Devils expressing an interesting in bringing him back to the club where it all began, as well as giving him an opportunity to return to living in his hometown of Oldham, there was only going to be one outcome.

What followed was several frantic days of negotiations when Sneyd returned from holiday, with Hull FC happy to grant the half-back a release from the final year of his contract and free him up to sign a three-year deal with Salford.

“It kind of got a pin put into it until Monday,” Sneyd said, recalling how his transfer unfolded. “Then it was literally 100MPH from Monday to Thursday and done – it has been a bit of a manic week.

“I’ve been at Hull for six years and absolutely loved every single minute of my time there, but I was ready to come back to family and things like that. They didn’t try to stop anything.

“I loved my time at Hull, and I put the point across to Hull if they wanted me to stay and respect the contract I’d signed, I would have done – and done so with a smile on my face and to the best of my ability. But they were incredible and understood the situation.”

Sneyd’s surprise switch to the AJ Bell Stadium was unveiled at the same press conference which saw Paul Rowley confirmed as the Red Devils’ new head coach, becoming the first signing under the new boss and the club’s eighth overall ahead of the 2022 campaign.

His arrival, along with that of Brodie Croft from NRL side Brisbane Broncos, has gone a long way to filling the void in the halves left by Tui Lolohea’s move to Huddersfield Giants under former Salford head coach Ian Watson and the retirement of Kevin Brown.

Rowley, the former Leigh Centurions and Toronto Wolfpack boss, has been a long-time admirer of Sneyd’s abilities and even hinted at the possibility of making him captain for the coming 2022 campaign.

“He’s won the Lance Todd Trophy twice and when we talk about leadership, I think he ticks that box,” Rowley said. “He’s clearly got probably the best kicking game in the league and he’s been at a great club.

“He’s coming to us with plenty of years and plenty mileage left, and we’re expecting him to have a good influence on the group during the week and on matchday.

“We want to go and perform on any big stage and he’s done that more than once, so we’re delighted because he fits the bill complements the team and he can be a real leader.”

Another member of the Salford coaching staff who knows Sneyd well is assistant Danny Orr, who played alongside him at Castleford Tigers when the former Waterhead Warriors junior spent the 2014 season on loan at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.

“He’s matured throughout the years and he’s always been a good guy, but he’s matured his game,” former half-back and hooker Orr said. “He’s learnt what a genuine half-back is and he’s done that at a massive club in Hull with a lot of pressure on him.

“We all know the No. 7s Hull have had over the years and wearing that shirt there has a lot of pressure on it. He’s handled it immensely, developed into a great player and it’s good to see a guy who’s had an awesome career.

“I got to work with him as a young lad and now I’ll get to as a mature, senior player, and he’s developed massively.”

Much has changed at Salford since Sneyd made his debut in 2010, when the club were still going under the City Reds moniker and were two years away from leaving their old home at The Willows for their present location.

Since he last played for them, the Red Devils have gone on to make a maiden Super League Grand Final appearance and reach the Challenge Cup final for the first time in over 50 years, although 2021 saw them finish 11th and Richard Marshall depart as head coach after just one season in charge.

Nevertheless, Sneyd senses plenty to be positive about at Salford as they return to pre-season training under Rowley’s watch.

“I think it’s pretty exciting at the moment around Salford,” Sneyd said. “The players who have come in are outstanding signings and if you look at the squad, it looks like it has got the potential to do things.

“It’s definitely developed from training at the university in Broughton. It’s going in the right direction and hopefully it can do that while I’m here and beyond.”