A player who goes under the radar with his consistency, Sam Stone’s 2024 season is put under the spotlight in the next edition of our ‘Best Of’ series.
Now two years into his Salford Red Devils career, the Malta international has proven to be a stellar addition to Paul Rowley’s back row.
Signing from Leigh Leopards in 2023, there was a sense the Club had pulled off a neat bit of transfer business – and it has certainly transpired that way.
With another 24 months on the way via a two-year contract extension in early June, the Red Devils faithful can look forward to seeing him regularly until the end of the 2026 season.
Upon confirmation of his extension a few months back, Stone said: “I am very happy to extend my contract at Salford.
“It was a relatively easy decision to stay; I have enjoyed my time here and I feel like I am continuing to improve under this coaching staff.
“This group of lads are fantastic to play alongside, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve over the next few years!”
Check out our most recent conversation with the back-rower on his time at Salford so far and what he hopes to achieve in the future.
In terms of 2024, Stone got our home campaign off to a flying start, scoring the opening try against Castleford Tigers in Round 2.
Throughout his time at Salford, the 27-year-old has showcased his ability to run a perfect line, and this time it was Marc Sneyd’s soft hands that allowed Stone to crash over.
He added to his tally in the second-half, with the aforementioned pair combining once more – via Sneyd’s grubber – to slam down his second of the afternoon.
After contributing to our huge victories over Hull KR and St Helens, Stone’s next involvement came against World Champions, Wigan Warriors.
Spotting an early fourth-play grubber from Sneyd, he caught the Cherry & White’s off-guard to ground under the sticks.
Stone is a durable back-rower, but he wasn’t without his injury niggles this year and missed a few games due to a back issue as we headed into April.
Returning to the fold in Round 10, a victory followed by back-to-back defeats made the visit of London Broncos an important one in our quest for playoff rugby.
A nervy half-hour had the Salford faithful concerned, but Stone stepped up to break the deadlock, crashing onto Joe Mellor’s quick play from dummy-half.
Perhaps his finest display of the season came a week later at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, where he made a staggering 52 tackles in our 14-25 victory.
Included was a sublime offload to send Nene Macdonald racing away for the game’s opening try – relive it with our Behind the Sticks angle below.
He was quieter on the try-scoring front towards the back end of 2024, but his contribution to our playoff qualification was just as big.
Often throughout the season, Stone was asked to cover at centre and had no problem adapting his game to suit the position – making good metres with his tall, athletic build.
A hard-working, studious footballer, who is a product of a rugby-mad upbringing, Stone will no doubt play a big role in our upcoming 2025 campaign.
STONE’S 2024 IN NUMBERS
Appearances: 22
Tries: 4
Try Assists: 1
Line breaks: 4
Metres made: 1315
Tackle breaks: 38
WATKINS ON STONE
“He’s quality. He’s just consistent in what he does in D, the way he carries the ball, he’s super strong, he gets a couple of little offloads here and there.
“I just think his actions speak for itself. He’s not a big talker, but at the same time his actions speak louder than his words and I’m really chuffed that he’s signed a new deal – it’s great for the club, great for him as well.
“Really, really proud of Stoney. He’s a phenomenal performer for our team.”
