MARC Sneyd has warned Hull FC fans to expect a different player to the one they have enjoyed for seven years.
A man who likes to be freed from the weight of expectations that have been heaped on him.
The Salford star raised eyebrows when he joined the club where it all started at the start of the season.
But after seeing him click under boss Paul Rowley when he was injured – in games they lost – he is playing a part as they try to dazzle their way to the play-offs.
And under-promising but over-delivering is definitely better than the other way around.
Sneyd said: “There is that expectation at Hull because they are known as a big club and the fans really like that big club.
“When things don’t go our way, it comes as a huge disappointment. In Salford. We’ve played some great rugby and we’re just now starting to get noticed.
“But other than that, we fly way under the radar. Players probably don’t realize how much under the radar it is.
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“For me, it’s the other end of the Richter scale compared to what I had in the previous seven years. Social media is 10 times quieter and you can just concentrate on your rugby, it’s great.”
Salford know three wins will seal a place in the top six, beating Hull tonight and Castleford on Monday should do it.
And Snead believes Rowley’s style of play – not afraid to risk their hand – has brought different parts of his game to the fore.
The scrum-half, 31, also admitted he knew it was coming well when he was injured, adding: “From the outside, looking in, it might seem like that belief has only come now, but we knew from very early on what we could do if we manage to get all the parts working.
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“I watched two games and we lost narrowly to Wigan and St Helens, but those performances showed me, ‘We’ve got something here and it’s going to drop at some point.’
“I wasn’t playing, but it was like, ‘Let’s go,’ and the way we’re playing definitely changed me. I have qualities that I’ve always had, but I can do things that I wouldn’t necessarily have been able to do.
“Most teams play with limitations, but it’s like, ‘If there’s an opportunity to run, take it whenever, wherever.'” It’s very different, but really nice.
“However, the next two games are massive, as they have been for the last six or seven weeks.”