Paul Rowley has been reacting to the signing of prolific NRL winger, David Nofoaluma.
The Samoan international has joined the Red Devils on a one-year deal and will link-up with his new teammates upon arrival from Australia.
Nofoaluma became West Tigers’ all-time leading try-scorer in 2021 and completed his time at the club with 100 tries in 192 games.
“A strong signing for us,” Paul Rowley told reporters in his first pre-match press conference of 2024.
“Everybody knows that a 24-man squad is not going to cut-it in Super League; it won’t survive. So he’s the first step towards solving that issue and he’s a strong step towards addressing it as well.
“His CV is very impressive. We lost Joe (Burgess) and Ken (Sio) during pre-season, who have been fantastic for us over the years and generally at the forefront of everything good for Salford, so they’re big boots to fill.”
He continued: “I think with the players we’ve brought in, Ethan Ryan, (David) Nofoaluma and even Chris Hankinson, we’ve added some real quality to our backline.
“When you look at it now it’s got a little bit of depth and an awful lot of quality, so I’m really happy with how that’s looking with the addition of David.”
Anyone who has seen Nofoaluma in action already will know he’s bringing a lethal mix of athletic ability and game intelligence to the Super League.
Traits, some have already pointed out, that are comparable with former winger, Ken Sio.
It’s a statement our Head Coach agrees with: “Kenny (Sio) scored a lot of tries that went unnoticed in terms of you take it for granted, but other wingers won’t score (in them positions),” he began.
“Picking up balls that are bobbling along the floor or popping up in a position that’s totally down to game sense, and I think David Nofoaluma mirrors a lot of what Kenny brought to the party.
“He’s probably got on his side that he’s a little more agile and elusive than Kenny.
“If we can replicate anything near what Ken Sio did for this club than we’ll be happy, because he’s been a consistently great performer for Salford, and within Super League for a lot of years.
“So if David can bring that sort of consistency from his game, than the quality we’ve already seen makes him a good signing for us.”
To hear Paul’s full pre-match thoughts, including the addition of Nofoaluma, click here to head to our YouTube channel.
