Salford v Crusaders (Sat)

Former St Helens and Warrington back row forward Vinnie Anderson is at last set to make his delayed Salford debut after recovering from a back injury.

Prop Iafeta Paleaaesina, the Reds’ winter signing from Wigan, is back in contention too after a two-match absence with a calf strain.

Half-back Rhys Hanbury, forward Frank Winterstein and new signing Hep Cahill go straight into the Crusaders line-up.

All three have belatedly received their visas, but Michael Witt is suspended.

Hooker Lincoln Withers is out with a hamstring strain, but his loss, and that of Witt, is offset by the return of forwards Paul Johnson and Jordan James and utility player Peter Lupton.

Salford have already been on the losing side against Crusaders this season, having lost 42-12 to Iestyn Harris’s men in his first game in charge, in the Magic Weekend season opener at the Mlllennium Stadium back on 13 February.

Since then, Crusaders have lost six games on the spin, to slump to the bottom of Super League XVI — but they can be encouraged by the fact that they have won their last four meetings with Salford.

Crusaders’ 25-12 win against Salford in July 2009 was the last of just three Super League victories in their debut season.

And the Welsh side also won both last season’s meetings with the Reds, winning 36-12 at The Willows in February before running in 11 tries to crush Shaun McRae’s men 60-16 in the Racecourse Ground return in August.

Salford (from): Patten, Broughton, Henry, Nero, Anderson, Ratchford, Holdsworth, Cashmere, Godwin, Boyle, Neal, L Adamson, Wild, Smith, Sneyd, Jewitt, Sidlow, Paleaaesina, Gleeson.
Crusaders (from): Schifcofske, Thomas, Martin, Mellars, Reardon, Sammut, O’Hara, Bryant, Cahill, Chan, Winternstein, James, Dudson, White, Flower, Moore, Lupton, Johnson, Hanbury.