In June 2012, Salford hosted St Helens at the then-named AJ Bell Stadium for the first time, but they had to wait until Round 18 to do it. This weekend, nearly 12 years later, the two teams will square off at the same location.
Before that 2012 season, Salford relocated from The Willows into the AJ Bell, currently known as the Salford Community Stadium, under the banner of the “City Reds.”
Lance Hohaia, Josh Jones, Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Michael Shenton, and now-head coach Paul Wellens were among the visitors who scored tries in their 32-10 loss to the Saints.
5,447 people showed up, and below we see the current location of the Salford side from the game.
Australian Patten signed a three-year contract, but he only played for Salford for two seasons. He came from Canterbury Bulldogs, an NRL team, and the 2012 season was the final of those two seasons. Having played in almost 300 first-grade games in Australia, he never resumed professional football after leaving the City Reds.
After coming home, he started working as a match official. When he took on the position of video referee for the 2013 Sydney Roosters vs. Manly Sea Eagles grand final, he became the first former NRL player to officiate in a Grand Final. In addition to his position as a Match Review Manager, the 44-year-old works as a sales representative for a waste management business.
The 36-year-old Broughton, who was born in Leeds, made 99 appearances for Salford between 2010 and 2013, amassing 60 tries before leaving for the Huddersfield Giants. Throughout his career, the winger donned shirts for eight different clubs, the most of which was the City Reds.
After spending a season with the Batley Bulldogs, Broughton retired in 2021 and started working as a quantity surveyor. He works as a wellbeing coach in addition to being a cost estimator for a Yorkshire-based construction company.
Although the 36-year-old Moon is held in high regard for his accomplishments with the Leeds Rhinos, Salford was the one who signed him to a two-year contract in front of 2012, bringing him to the Super League. The Queensland native played 19 games overall for the City Reds, scoring 11 tries. He was also a standout player for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
