Tuesday 23 June 2015 13:28, UK
It all started so well. Just over a year ago, Dr Marwan Koukash announced a signing to make his Salford outfit sing. The jewel in the crown? Full-back Kevin Locke.
"One of the most exciting talents in the game" that proves Salford will be "competitive at the very top of the sport.” That was Koukash’s description of his 2013 World Cup finalist.
Fast forward 12 months and things haven’t gone quite as planned. Locke has handed in his resignation as a Salford player, having not featured since May 1. In fact, since his debut last July against Huddersfield, he’s appeared just 13 times out of a possible 28.
Injuries have played their part, but it’s been clear that Salford and Locke have been keen to part for a while; indeed talks were held with the Scottish Rugby Union about a potential switch north of the border.
So one of Koukash’s marquee names hasn’t worked out, but Locke isn’t the first NRL superstar to struggle in the Super League. We look at five other moves that just didn’t work out…
Bradley Clyde and Brett Mullins
A double bill first up. For the 2001 season, with Leeds still chasing Super League’s ultimate prize, they turned Down Under and signed two of the biggest names the NRL had to offer.
Forward Bradley Clyde was a replacement for Adrian Morley, an Australian test and State of Origin veteran with two Clive Churchill medals to his name. Full-back Brett Mullins also arrived with similar credentials.
But things didn’t work out. Leeds struggled, not helped by the departure of head coach Dean Lance after four games, while the form of their two stars Aussies was another sticking point.
Clyde was dogged by injuries, making 15 appearances after struggling with hamstring and Achilles issues and Mullins had similar injury problems, managing just 12 games.
Both players moved on after just one season, Clyde retiring and Mullins moving back to the NRL to join the Sydney Roosters, where he went on to win the title in 2002.
Willie Mason
When a player of Willie Mason’s calibre comes on the market, there’s bound to be a scramble for his signature. Hull KR won the race and Mason arrived at Craven Park in 2011 in a blaze of publicity.
There were initial problems. His arrival was delayed by visa and passport complications, but when Mason finally made his debut, a man-of-the-match performance followed in a win over the Celtic Crusaders.
Things quickly deteriorated. Mason handed in a transfer request after travelling to France to discuss a potential switch to rugby union and Toulon. Rovers saw this as a breach of contract, de-registered the player before stopping his pay.
After just six appearances for the Robins, six months into a three-year contract, Mason’s spell in Super League was over before it had really begun.
Matt Orford
Bradford’s Super League decline was already evident by 2010, having failed to win a trophy since the 2006 World Club Challenge.
In an attempt to reverse those fortunes, the Bulls brought in Australian half-back Matt Orford, just a year on from his Dally M Medal-winning season, awarded for guiding the Manly Sea Eagles to the NRL title.
But Orford struggled, making just 12 appearances for Bradford before suffering a shoulder injury in a Magic Weekend defeat to the Crusaders. And that turned out to be his last appearance in the English game.
Orford was released at the end of the season after requesting a move, just a year into a three-year deal. He returned to the NRL and joined Canberra, where he again struggled with injury.
Wade McKinnon
Hull FC have had their ups and downs with signings over recent years, bringing star overseas names like Craig Fitzgibbon and Mark O’Meley to the club.
But one move that definitely didn’t work out was full back Wade McKinnon. The ex-South Sydney, Parramatta and New Zealand Warriors man was released from the final year of his West Tigers deal so he could move to England and big things were expected on Humberside.
However, four months into the season and McKinnon was on his way back to Australia. He failed to settle, and made just 10 appearances for the Airlie Birds before both parties decided to part ways.
Hull FC replaced him with a teenage Matty Russell, brought in on-loan from Wigan.
Tim Smith
The half-back might be the star of the current Wakefield side, but he can enter this list for not one but two difficult moves.
First up was Smith’s switch to Wigan halfway through the 2008 season. Smith was a former NRL ‘Rookie of the Year’ but he’d been suspended by Parramatta after allegations of drunken behaviour before being granted indefinite leave after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Signed to replace Trent Barrett, it never worked out for Smith at the DW Stadium, despite a few excellent performances, and a shoulder injury ended his time with the Cherry and Whites.
He left for Cronulla in 2010, but Super League fans soon saw Smith return, this time with Wakefield. His sensational Wildcats form made him a target for many clubs, but Smith signed for big spending Salford last season, targeted by Dr Koukash to lead the Red Devil revolution.
But the player struggled to impress alongside Rangi Chase and nine months into his contract, he was loaned back to Wakefield, ironically to make way on the salary cap for Kevin Locke.
