Matty Russell the danger man for Toulouse Olympique

Matty Russell is Toulouse’s most dangerous player, according to Salford coach Paul Rowley.

The Red Devils host Super League’s newly promoted side this Sunday at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Rowley opened his campaign as Salford’s new boss with an impressive 26-16 victory over Castleford. Toulouse fell to a 42-14 defeat at home to Huddersfield in the competition’s opening weekend.

Sylvain Houles’ side will be looking to bounce back with their first trip of the year to England, and Rowley has warned his players of the dangers of winger Russell.

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Paul Rowley previews Toulouse Olympique

“I think Toulouse’s most dangerous player is Matty Russell without shadow of a doubt,” Rowley said during his pre-match press conference.

“He’s so hard to handle and many coaches say things like ‘we need to do this on Matty’ and ‘deal with him this way’.

“He is so difficult to handle and he’s a great player for them. 

“On the same edge there is Andrew Dixon, who I have the utmost respect for.

“He’s won Grand Finals with St Helens. He’s experienced promotion on a couple of occasions from Championship to Super League. He is an all-around good pro and good guy.

“They’re are good players, so it’s difficult. But if you’re going to say the most damaging out of the lot, it would be Matty Russell without a shadow of a doubt.”

Salford must be at their best to win says coach

Rowley believes his side must be at their best to claim the two Super League points on offer over Toulouse this weekend.

Despite their slow start to the season, the Salford boss believes the opposition’s squad is full of talent that could cause his side problems.

Previewing Toulouse, Rowley said: “I guess it’s the unknown, isn’t it? I think expect the unexpected when you’re dealing with people like Tony Gigot who is a wonderfully talented rugby league player. 

“Then they’ve got some real experience in them with Dominique Peyroux and Joseph Paulo, and people like Andrew Dixon. 

“They’re a very dangerous side and like I say, I’ve coached against them before. They’ve got a great coach. We just we need to be our best. 

“They’re experienced and successful and know what winning looks like. 

“I mentioned after Castleford that we’re a team that needs to be at our best all the time and certainly that’s the case this week.”

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