Everything Salford Red Devils coach said after Bradford Bulls win including transfer admission

Salford assistant Kurt Haggerty, who will become the Red Devils’ head coach from 2026, addressed the media after their 26-16 Challenge Cup Fourth Round victory against Championship side Bradford Bulls.

Here’s every word he said…

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On spirit…

I think when you’ve got your 37-year-old front-rower and another 33-year-old front-rower playing 80 minutes, that shows the spirit in the camp.

I thought those two in particular, the way they stood up in an adverse situation, was amazing.

They sat the benchmark for the game for us, Hilly (Chris Hill) and Jack Ormondroyd.

On Bradford…

We put a big focus during the week on Waqa Blake and Jorge Taufua, who didn’t play.

We put a big focus on them being a team full of ex-Super League players who have certainly got one game in them, so if we weren’t on it, they were more than capable of beating us tonight.

On the match-winners…

I thought Ryan (Brierley) was brilliant, but I thought Jayden Nikorima was very good for us with his running game, taking their big middles on and showing his Super League class.

On getting Nikorima into the 17 after Marc Sneyd’s exit…

It was pretty important.

We had no idea at one point once Marc had gone who was going to play at pivot, so it was very important getting Jayden in to play.

On a difficult week…

It’s been extremely difficult.

We didn’t know who we could pick and who we could select from when it’s locked in at a £1.2 million team which they won’t allow you to change.

It’s very hard to pick from an already small squad with injuries, so it was extremely difficult. It was very much a waiting game to see who could play and who couldn’t.

On it being a waiting game overall with the off-field saga…

I think so. We take it day by day, and if we didn’t, I don’t think we’d sleep at night.

On how many times the squad for the Bradford game changed…

A lot. Three to four to five to six.

Myself, Paul (Rowley, head coach) and Krisnan (Inu, assistant coach) will pick a team.

We’d put it on paper, ask ‘can this play?’ and be told ‘yeah, we think so’, then the next minute we’d be told we couldn’t play that team.

Things then change around it, so it keeps constantly changing.

But the lads have been amazing, whatever we’ve thrown at them. I’m so proud of the players, I can’t commend them enough.

On Joe Bullock being named on the bench but not being involved…

Joe was struggling from the game against Castleford (last Friday night). I think it was his quad.

It’s something to do with the leg, I’m not 100% sure, but Joe was struggling either way.

To ask Joe to play tonight, I don’t think he’d have been able to get through the game.

We were struggling with the bench, and young Charlie (McCurrie) has come in last minute for us, which has helped us out with the squad.

On losing Chris Hankinson to injury 10 minutes in…

You’re scratching for pivots and then you’re scratching for outside-backs when you lose Hankinson.

He was the goal-kicker as well, so we were up there (in the gantry) talking me and Paul (Rowley) about the subs. Who do we put on?

We’re trying to drag the middles out as long as we can to get through the game, and at one point, I don’t think I was even watching the game.

I was more focused on how we made subs to get through the game. It was very, very difficult.

On the worry of losing the game having trailed twice…

Me and Paul were very worried, but we knew at half-time what we needed to focus on.

We spoke about defending yardage better, and working on their backfield better.

Once we’d dealt with that, I think Bradford struggled to get out of their own half.

It just gave us enough field position then for the likes of (Jayden) Nikorima and (Ryan) Brierley to take over.

I thought we worked very hard in particular on defending their backfield, which helped us to win the game.

On where this week compares to the most difficult so far…

It’s right up there with Round 1.

It’s not just been a week-on-week thing, this has been going on since November.

It’s been a lot, but it’s nice to win tonight. The lads have come off tonight and it’s almost like their shoulders have dropped with the relief of getting a win.

Regardless of what week we’ve had, it was nice just to win again.

On what the next week looks like…

I’ve absolutely no idea. No idea.

The lads have got some recovery tomorrow (Saturday), and then we’ll come in Monday to see what we’re faced with.

On more players leaving…

Yeah (we are worried). It’s a massive fear.

On whether there’s any more light to shed on Nene Macdonald or Tim Lafai’s potential exits?

No, I’m not sure, we don’t know.

On when answers about Macdonald and Lafai’s futures will be received…

I don’t know, I’m not sure, I’m hoping to know midweek.