Salford poke and prod, then look to the right with another searching up-and-under kick from Marc Sneyd.

This time Leigh's Darnell McIntosh comes down with it, and while he is then dragged in to touch the tackle had already been completed and Leigh keep hold of the ball.

Salford have a few repeat sets now within striking distance of the line.

The last comes from another knock-on under a dangerous high ball that was sent up by Marc Sneyd.

These will be energy sapping minutes for the Leopards defence.

A knock-on from Tom Amone as he tries to run the ball out of defence has handed Salford possession and their first real attack on Leigh's line.

Brad Singleton is first to carry and goes looking to punch a hole down the left.

Image source, SWPix

Leigh have had to turn to their bench already with Frankie Halton going off for a head injury assessment.

On comes Zak Hardaker.

Kieron Purtill
Former Leigh head coach on BBC Radio Manchester

Image source, PA Media

Both teams haven’t settled down but we don’t want them to. The intensity of this game is like a Grand Final.

It's been all all Leigh for a few minutes now, but Deon Cross crunches Lachlan Lam with a tackle and Salford regain the ball.

That will help relieve the pressure big time.

Once play resumes, Leigh again go to the left.

A late hit on Gareth O'Brien eventually leads to yet another penalty, and Leigh come again...

Leigh are working their way toward to the try line.

Tim Lafai hammers Frankie Halton with a tackle after he spun out of one attempt and the Leopard's second rower looks dazed.

He gets some treatment, but will be okay to continue.

Leigh shift the ball at pace to the left, but a hand in for an attempted intercept sees Salford knock on.

It could be a big moment as Leigh get the ball back for another set of six that starts in Salford's defensive half.

At the end of Salford first set, Marc Sneyd ends up a high ball.

The Red Devils have numbers in the chase, but it is well defused by Leigh in the end.

A penalty soon after will allow the Leopards to make metres now.

Image source, PA Media

Leigh got through that first set nice and steady, but there two sides are throwing themselves around at full throttle.

Lachlan Lam takes the Salford kick-off and the Red Devils come in hard with Brad Singleton getting a nice big early hit in to start the game.

Image source, SWPix

And off we go!

We are just minutes away from the Super League play-offs kicking off.

The atmosphere at the Salford Community Stadium is getting nice and hot on this fresh night in the north west.

Kick-off is fast approaching, so let's take a quick look at how the two sides will be lining up tonight.

Salford boss Paul Rowley has ushered back a number of his big guns tonight after fielding a much-changed outfit against Wigan last week.

Chris Hankinson starts at full-back, leaving Ryan Brierley to spring into action from the bench.

Brad Singleton brings up 300 career appearances tonight, while Loghan Lewis is back from a groin injury and takes his place on the bench after signing a new deal during the week.

Salford Red Devils: Hankinson, Ryan, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross, Nikorima, Sneyd, Singleton, Mellor, Dudson, Stone, Watkins, Partington.

Interchanges: Brierley, Wright, Shorrocks, Lewis.

Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam has made just one change to the starting side that got the better of St Helens last week.

Jack Hughes start, while on the bench Salford will be able to call on Zak Hardaker.

Leigh Leopards: Moylan, McIntosh, Hanley, Leutele, Charnley, O'Brien, Lam, Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, Hughes, Halton, Asiata.

Interchanges: Dwyer, Hardaker, Pene, Trout

Salford boss Paul Rowley summed up this eliminator as a play-off between the underdogs.

It's taken an utterly stunning run of from in the second half of the season to get Leigh to this point, and no other side to reach the play-offs will feel more battle hardened then them right now.

Adrian Lam's side lost their first three games on the bounce and were beaten in seven of their first nine in all competitions, but won a remarkable 10 of their final 12 games to reach the play-offs.

Asked by BBC Radio Manchester if winning against Saints felt like a play-off game in itself, Lam said: "It's been like that in the second half of the season. Obviously where we were on the ladder, every game was important to us.

"Looking back, even [against Saints] on Friday night, had we slipped up one more time from round 12 to the end of the season, we wouldn't have been in a position to give ourselves a chance to be in the six."

Image source, SWPix

Rowley and the Salford 'entertainers' would make for a good band name.

I'm thinking, something high-octane. Real rocker vibes that draws the crowd into a mosh pit.

In rugby league terms that is what Salford boss Paul Rowley has his players performing like this season.

They are the sort of outfit that absorbs your attention with their attacking endeavour and willingness to rock teams with more than just a dash of brilliance.

"The product itself is the biggest attraction - we don't need any gimmicks, the product is there and that's all we need to sell," Rowley said.

"That's important to us. We like to entertain. We've been called the entertainers and the disruptors so we take pride out of both of those tags."

Image source, swpix.com

Six teams have earned their the right to come into the play-offs with an eye on Super League's biggest prize.

BBC Sport's rugby league big brain Jay Freeman has pulled together a preview of what we have to look forward to in the coming 36 hours of eliminators.

Click on the link to read the feature.

It's week one of the play-offs, and it's sudden death stuff.

Win, and you edge 80 minutes closer to the Super League Grand Final.

Lose, and it's pack up your title dreams along with your sweat-stained match kit and smelly socks tonight.

And it all starts at Salford, where the Red Devils host near neighbours Leigh Leopards.

Just as the leaves have begun to drop and fall in the UK, so do the teams in the race for Super League supremacy.

The end of the regular season last week saw six clubs pack up their 2024 campaign to set about trying to rebuild or refine for a better 2025.

For six others, however, the northern hemisphere's biggest prize is still up for grabs.

Tonight, the play-offs begin.