Marc Sneyd needs to be studied – Salford Red Devils star’s left boot is like gold dust
If you had to pick anyone to kick a goal from the touchline to save your life, it’s probably fair to say you’d pick Marc Sneyd.
The 33-year-old has been one of the premium goal-kickers in British rugby league for over a decade now, kicking more than 1,000 career goals, scoring more than 2,300 points.
Goal-kicking is an art form. Some work on it to try to become a regular goal-kicker, some just have that natural talent, the latter being Salford Red Devils iceman Sneyd, who never seems to be fazed by pressure.
Sneyd enjoyed an impressive night with the boot on Friday, but also with the ball in hand, as Salford picked up a 25-14 victory over Warrington Wolves, their second win over Sam Burgess’ side this season.
The charismatic half-back kicked four goals and scored a try as well as slotting a one-pointer to seal the win at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, scooping Sky Sports’ man of the match award in the process.
Paul Rowley: ‘We’re lucky to have him’
Salford coach Paul Rowley summed Sneyd up perfectly after the game, saying the England international is just as comfortable playing on a park field as he is on the biggest of stages.
Games like this one are what make goal-kicking – and in-game kicking – so important. As aforementioned, it wasn’t just his in-game kicking and goal-kicking though, he led his side around the park perfectly in faultless display as he claimed Sky Sports’ man of the match award – again.
“We’ve got Sneydy who likes to turn it on for the Sky cameras doesn’t he? That’s for sure!” a proud Rowley told Sky Sports after the game. “He’s got a few of those (man of the match) medals now so he’s doing a great job and we’re lucky to have him.
“As far as blokes go, he is the most humble bloke and whenever we see him score a try up there (in the coaches’ box), me and Kurt (Haggerty) are so happy, we’re thinking of him. He usually brings his lad Maximus and we’re thinking of his smiling face.
“He’s such a grounded guy. I always say he can be playing on the back field and he’d be just as happy with a rugby ball in his hand.
“I thought we were great tonight, we played tough and we needed to, we had some great support from our fans who were fantastic, so a nod to them and well done to the boys.”
Back in February, Love Rugby League published an in-depth article about Super League’s 10 best goal-kickers heading into the 2024 season, according to the statistics from 2023.
Who was at the top? You guessed it, Marc Sneyd. He and Warrington’s Stefan Ratchford had the highest conversion rate in the competition last year at an impressive 86%.
The Oldham-born veteran playmaker kicked 84 goals from 98 last term, seeing him joint top of tree alongside Ratchford.
His influence with the boot was that heavy that Ryan Brierley (with 3) was the only other Red Devils player to successfully slot home a goal across all competitions last season, meaning that Sneyd earned almost 97% of the two-pointers they posted in 2023.
There’s a reason that he sits at the top of the Steve Prescott Man of Steel rankings after 14 rounds this season, tied at the top alongside Leigh Leopards star Matt Moylan. He’s a vital component to the Red Devils, who last month tied him down to a new two-year contract.
Sneyd’s left boot needs to be framed and put in a museum somewhere whenever he does call it a day. Iceman, sharpshooter, marksman – whatever you want to call him – his kicking ability needs to be admired.
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