Chance to exorcise painful memories as HKR plot return

Of course, they have not faced each other following that epic fixture last October namely because they are now in different divisions; Rovers’ extra-time golden point loss saw them relegated and their rivals, crucially, remained in Super League.

It was a shock to all concerned at the time as the East Yorkshire club were eight points ahead going into the final 90 seconds of normal time, their safety seemingly all but assured.

What happened next will go down in rugby league folklore as undaunted Salford – with back-to-back tries – produced one of the most remarkable turnarounds to not only draw level but then claim victory with Gareth O’Brien’s wondrous 50m drop goal.

Asked if the memory is still painful, Maurice Blair, one of just four KR players who featured then and also set to line up at the AJ Bell Stadium this evening, conceded: “Yes, when I do think of it now most of it is pretty raw still.

“It was a bad time. But we just have to move past it. It’s done and dusted and we’ve got a new challenge ahead of us.

“As bad as it was to lose the way we did, this is another step playing in the Championship as we are.”

Indeed, Rovers have acclimated well to life in the second tier, winning 12 of their 13 games as they plot their way back.

That, and having retained the bulk of their Super League stars, is why many people believe they can gain some small revenge tonight by springing a shock to force their way into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Tim Sheens’s side have already beaten one top-flight side to reach this point, winning 23-10 at Leigh Centurions, the promoted side who took their place among the elite.

Granted, Salford are a different entity; despite dicing so close with relegation last term, they are third, having won nine of their 13 matches to emerge as surprise challengers.

Blair, the experienced Australian back-row, insisted: “I’m not really surprised by that.

“They started in that sort of form last year before dropping off while they had that points deduction, too, for the salary cap as well.

“They look like they’ve improved again.

“It will be a good marker to see where we are at and a good test.

“We had a good win against Batley on Sunday and have just been working on a bit of consistency through the year.

“We played Leigh in the last game of the Challenge Cup and proved we can still stick with the best teams in Super League.

“This week will be another chance to do that and we are starting to gel as a team now.

“But, obviously, Salford are running high, just two points off the top of Super League, and had a lot of good wins so we need to step up again.

“They have threats all over, not just at half-back with Michael Dobson, Robert Lui and Todd Carney, but in the back-row, too.

“Ben Murdoch-Masilia and Ryan Lannon are pretty strong runners with the ball and we’ll probably have to put in our best defensive performance of the year to come away with the win. It should be a good game.”

Blair, 32, won Rovers’ player- of-the-year award last season and could easily have found another top-flight club after relegation.

However, he was one of the first squad members to re-commit and signed a new deal until the end of 2018, giving them a significant lift at such a troubled, uncertain time.

“It didn’t really take too long to decide,” explained the combative former Melbourne Storm player, now in his third season after joining from Gold Coast Titans.

“Once we’d lost that game and, being part of that, I wanted to be a part of it getting back up to where we belong.

“I think I’d decided I’d stay within a week.”

The impact of the revered Sheens, too, has been significant.

The former Australia chief was Salford director of rugby when it was announced last September that he would be joining Rovers as head coach in 2017.

When it emerged the sides would face each other in the ‘Million-Pound Game’, he stood down in the week building up to that pivotal fixture but, when Rovers duly lost, he, too, pledged to still take up his role at Craven Park.

Sheens makes his first return to Salford tonight and Blair – who played at Wembley with Rovers in their 2015 Challenge Cup final loss to Leeds Rhinos – said: “He’s been really good for us.

“I’ve been very impressed since he came here and he’s increased the professionalism throughout the whole club.

“He’s working really well with our young boys who are a learning a lot, too, and it’s putting us in the right direction.”