In terms of the Club’s off-season business, Chris Hankinson’s return to Salford Red Devils went slightly under the radar.
His transfer was confirmed in early December, bringing the former youth product back to a place he claimed there was some ‘unfinished business’.
Hankinson is the ultimate professional; selfless for his teammates and thorough in his preparation. His athletic build combined with a high level of rugby IQ makes him a versatile asset for Paul Rowley.
That transpired across 2024, where he played almost every position possible on the pitch. Chris Atkin, he’s coming for you!
After a solid pre-season, Hankinson started life at Salford on the wing in Ethan Ryan’s absence. His first outing against Leeds Rhinos showed plenty of promising signs, despite defeat.
He scored his first try of the season in spectacular style against Hull KR in Round 3. Cade Cust’s cut-out ball was loose, but Hankinson managed to somehow keep it in his grasp and stretch over in the right corner.
It was an almost perfect start for the 30-year-old, who also contributed to our famous win away at St Helens, 44 years in the making.
However, a freak training ground injury stopped Hankinson in his tracks and kept him on the sidelines until a return to action against Leigh Leopards in Round 11.
We spoke to him after his recovery to discuss his hopes of returning to his pre-injury form and how the team is looking at a tricky run of fixtures.
From that game onwards, bar a squad-wide rest in Round 27, Hankinson featured in every single Super League fixture for the Reds.
With Ryan Brierley carrying a knock, the next position on his tick-list was fullback, where he performed exceptionally well in our victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
A week later, Hankinson finished our try of the season in another history-making win over St Helens.
It was a thing of beauty; Sneyd got the ball moving before Atkin, Watkins and Macdonald spread the ball quickly to Ryan, who used his pace to get away from Lewis Dodd and play the ball back inside for Hankinson to score.
He made a name for finishing superb team tries, including what turned out to be a crucial cross for the Red Devils in Round 19.
With Castleford Tigers threatening to make the game tight, Brierley and Lafai combined to make a break, with Hankinson – at centre this time – happily in support to finish off the try.
Watch the replay in our Behind the Sticks feature now.
His fifth and final try of the campaign came in our meeting with Saints in early August. Latching onto Sneyd’s deft grubber kick, Hankinson got fingertips on the ball to touch down and kickstart our second-half comeback.
Strong out of the backfield, his solid displays at fullback towards the back end of 2024 helped solidify our spot in the top six and confirm a home Playoff Eliminator.
HANKINSON’S 2024 IN NUMBERS
Appearances: 21
Tries: 5
Linebreaks: 4
Tackle breaks: 53
Metres made: 2319
HANKINSON ON OUR TRY OF THE SEASON
“It was just good execution. Things are coming into play that we’re building on through the week – it’s great to see it come off.
“There’s a tap that we’ve been running this week for certain reasons and to see it come off is great, especially from the upstairs (coaches) as well!”
