Loghan Lewis lifts lid on Salford ‘nightmare’ as reasons for Bradford ‘fresh start’ outlined

Bradford Bulls prop Loghan Lewis has admitted it was impossible to produce anything like his best form during a ‘nightmare’ 2025 with Salford Red Devils: lifting the lid on what it was like to be part of the club last year.

Lewis joined Salford midway through 2024 and made a huge impact – so much so that the club handed him a new deal for 2025 and beyond.

However, Lewis was one of just a handful of senior players who spent the entire season with the Red Devils as mounting financial problems ripped the club and their playing squad apart, leading to their eventual demise late last year.

Lewis has now joined a string of former Red Devils players – and assistant coach Kurt Haggerty – at the newly-promoted Bulls for 2026 and insists that getting back to focussing on just rugby matters will allow him to reproduce his best form.

He told Love Rugby League: “It feels like a bit of a fresh start with everything that happened last year at Salford. It’s nice to just get back to thinking about rugby and playing every week without all the other stuff.

“I’ve just tried to forget all about it. It was a scratch year, a year where you couldn’t really produce anything like your best rugby with everything that was happening every week.

“I try not to look back to be honest and just move forwards, because it was a bit of a nightmare. It was like survival each and every week – you would turn up to training and not know who would be there, who’s gone, whether you’re getting paid.. crazy. We had a pretty tight knit group, even towards the end of the season when all the boys were getting separated.”

Lewis admitted he was thrilled to see Salford re-form under the leadership of former players Mason Caton-Brown and Ryan Brierley, adding: “We just tried to stay close together and it’s great that they’ve managed to get going again for the fans.

“The supporters showed up every single week knowing what the results were going to be  and not even knowing some of the players who were playing for them. They really deserve that fresh start and it’s great to see.

“I owe a lot to Salford rugby league, especially when I first came over and how they took a chance on me. I keep updated with all the scores and I’ll be following them like a fan through the year. Charlie Glover and Fin Yates are good mates of mine so they’re still there, which is fantastic. I hope they have a great year.”

But the prop is now focussed on a fresh challenge across the Pennines with Bradford. He admits the club’s history in Super League was a huge lure for him joining the Bulls – as was the presence of so many familiar faces.

“The coach was a big part of it,” he admitted. “But Esan (Marsters), Ethan (Ryan), all the boys that were at Salford who came across, it just felt like the right opportunity. I’m really close with Mitch Souter from back home too so that was a big deal, knowing there were people here I knew.

“I know all about Bradford’s history, how successful they were in the early-2000s. Bradford were a big name back home and they have a proud history that I want to add to as part of this squad in 2026 and beyond.”

And Lewis warned Bradford fans that Haggerty’s first season as a head coach will be unmissable.

He said: “I think he’s going to bring a lot of excitement to the party. With the players we have and the systems Kurt is putting in place, I think there’s going to be some entertainment, that’s for sure. Kurt has given me that number ten jersey which is a big honour and a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”