Ken Sio reveals why he opted to join Salford rather than staying in the NRL

Drew Darbyshire

Ken Sio has revealed that he joined Salford because he wanted to be a leader for the club.

The 28-year-old returned to Super League in the off-season, penning a three-year deal with the Red Devils.

Sio has spent the previous two years in the NRL with Newcastle Knights, scoring 17 tries and kicking 25 goals in 41 appearances for the club.

And he doesn’t have any regrets about turning down offers from the NRL in favour of Salford.

“It was awesome playing in the NRL,” Sio told loverugbyleague.com. “At Newcastle, we were going through the building stage and with the season we had, we should have been in the top eight.

“I’ve learnt a lot from players that were there but I’m hoping to bring that experience to Salford and bring a lot of confidence to the team.

“Salford is a club with a proud history and I love the city where we are staying. I wanted a new challenge for myself and I wanted to be a leader for some of the younger players here at Salford and it’s good to also play with some experienced players who have been in the game a while.

“I want to be a leader for the younger players and help them out as much as I can. I will work hard and put the team first and hopefully I will be an asset to the team.”

Sio has enjoyed a fine start to his career with the Red Devils, scoring five tries and kicking 13 goals in eight matches so far.

Ian Watson’s side currently sit fifth in the Super League table, having won four from their first nine fixtures.

“I think we’ve got some really good players here and some that bring different attributes to the team,” Sio added.

“It’s awesome because some players can play in other positions so we are looking forward to hopefully having a good year.

“We are pretty much like a family at Salford. This place is like all of our second homes and we always make sure each other are alright. We all go out together, come in together, have lunch together and do stuff off the field together.

“There is a good feeling around the place, we have a tight knit group of mates who laugh and crack jokes with each other. It’s awesome here and I’m liking it here so far.”