Salford RLFC coach lauds star recruit Brad Dwyer as captaincy honour confirmed

Salford RLFC head coach Mike Grady has heaped praise on star recruit Brad Dwyer, who he has chosen as the new phoenix club’s first-ever captain.

32-year-old Dwyer has more than 300 senior career appearances on his CV, with that figure including over 250 in Super League.

The veteran hooker featured once as a loanee last season for Salford in their previous incarnation as the Red Devils, then a Leigh Leopards player.

Having been released by the Leopards at the end of the 2025 campaign, it wasn’t until Thursday morning that his signing was announced by Salford, just over 24 hours out from their opening game of the new Championship season against Oldham.

Becoming the new phoenix club’s most experienced recruit to date, by a distance, he pulled on his boots for that clash: and has been handed the honour of being Salford RLFC’s first-ever captain.

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Salford RLFC coach lauds star recruit Brad Dwyer as captaincy honour confirmed

Behind Dwyer, the next most experienced player in Grady’s squad is 27-year-old Joe Hartley, who had played seven games at Championship level prior to his arrival at the CorpArq Stadium.

Fin Yates, a product of the now-defunct Red Devils’ youth system signed on by the new phoenix club, is vice-captain.

But it was Dwyer who received plenty of praise from boss Grady following Friday night’s season opener, which an incredibly youthful Salford side lost 44-0 having gone in 16-0 down at half-time.

Speaking about his new skipper post-match, Grady said: “He just needed a club, or he was looking for a club, and he’d been in touch with Ryan (Brierley, CEO).

“He trained Wednesday and he fancied it tonight, so the rest is history. He had a good chat with Ryan and we’ll just see how it goes with Brad.

“He’s a quality player, I imagine people will be looking at him throughout the season, but it’s great to have him here.

“You could see the difference when he was on that pitch, he’s a fantastic pro who knows the game.

“It was a big coup for us to bring him in.”