Die-hard Manchester United fan Marc Sneyd is trying not to imagine what it would be like to walk out at Old Trafford for Salford.
The prolific scrum-half knows that will finally happen if the Red Devils can stun champions St Helens on Saturday. Sneyd, 31, has cruelly been on the losing side in THREE Super League semi-finals with Hull. But after joining Salford this term, he’s now hoping to at last head down the road to the Theatre of Dreams as a player and not just a fan.
“I'm trying my best not to think about it as obviously it’s a huge task this weekend,” said the Oldham-born schemer. “But obviously in the back of my head it’s a dream to play there and has been for as long as I can remember. We’ll wait and see until after Saturday and then maybe I can start getting a little more excited. I genuinely couldn’t tell you how many semis I’ve been in.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t massively remember the really disappointing things. Some people remember the disappointments more than the successes. I don’t like to dwell on those negatives. But I do know I have lost a few of them…”
While at Hull, Sneyd was denied by Wigan in 2016 and, 12 months later, suffered heartbreak again when Leeds edged his side 18-16 at Headingley. Two years ago, Wigan emphatically swept past the Black and Whites 29-2 in the semis so he still awaits that golden chance. Sneyd, of course, won two Challenge Cups with Hull, claiming the Lance Todd Trophy both times.
Paul Rowley’s underdogs - who finished sixth but ruthlessly dispatched Huddersfield 28-0 a week ago - will need all of his experience on Saturday to halt leaders Saints’ bid for a fourth consecutive title. But Sneyd insisted: “We’ve not said too much about it. We’ve been playing do-or-die games for a while now so it’s second nature.
“We’re pretty relaxed and confident given the form we’re in although I’m a big believer these big games are about who turns up on the day. It’s just down to each individual getting prepared as best they can and making sure they’re on. If we all turn up and perform well as individuals the team thing always takes care of itself.”
Red-hot Salford truly showcased their quality with a stunning 44-12 win over Saints just a few weeks ago - a performance that first highlighted them as potential challengers. Sneyd recalled: “That was a good day. It was one of those days where everything stuck and everything clicked. But we can’t just expect that to happen again. To the naked eye, it just looked like we turned up and played Globetrotter rugby.
“That’s how we want to play but a lot of hard work that probably went unnoticed went into that game. We need to do all the little things, all the hard gritty things, and bring that attitude to Saturday: the willingness to keep moving, getting up with line speed to allow us to play like that.”
And Salford are obviously without their talisman Brodie Croft, the dazzling Australian stand-off who’s been shortlisted for Man of Steel but misses Saturday's encounter due to a concussion. There could be extra pressure on Sneyd’s shoulders to guide the Red Devils around, but he maintained: “One of our stand-out players this year who’s probably gone unnoticed but not within the group, is Chris Atkin.
“Brodie will be a miss but we’ve got no issues with Chris coming in and doing a similar job. There’s no pressure on me to step up and do more or on Chris to come on and be Brodie Croft. We’ll just go about our business and we’re very confident Chris is good enough to walk into the team and put in a good job for us.”
It’s ironic that Hull have suffered another abysmal season of under-performance while Salford, who finished 11th last term, have flourished. Hull offloaded Sneyd last November to make way for England scrum-half Luke Gale but they finished ninth and boss Brett Hodgson was sacked. He could be forgiven for affording himself a rueful smile now given where he is but Sneyd said: “When we played them I obviously was all in on Salford.
“It’s obvious they’ve not had the best of season and things have gone on there I’m not involved with any more. It’s just been a struggle for them but it’s out of my hands. I don’t enjoy seeing a team struggle like that, especially one I was with for so long and I loved my time there. I wouldn’t say it brings a smile to my face seeing that happen now.”
Master kicker Sneyd admits he never imagined Salford would be in the race for the title. He said: “I’d say probably not but it never once crossed my mind that I was coming to Salford to make the numbers up in the league.
“I was genuinely excited to come in and see what we could do as a group. I am a little surprised it’s gone the way it’s gone but not massively when seeing the individuals in this team: there’s class across the board. And we’re all looking forward to facing Saints again.”
