Hull FC coach weighs in on ‘really sad’ Salford Red Devils saga after thumping win
Hull FC head coach John Cartwright
Hull FC boss John Cartwright has labelled the situation Salford find themselves in as ‘really sad’ and urged accountability from the relevant parties after his side beat the Red Devils 80-6.
Salford made the trip to the MKM Stadium on Sunday with no fewer than ten loanees in their 18, and nine in the 17 that actually took the field.
Seven of those ten loanees were drafted in over the weekend in preparation for the game with the club having been granted special dispensation from the RFL to sign more players on loan than usually permitted due to their financial position.
If that dispensation hadn’t been reached, and Super League clubs hadn’t allowed their players to link up with Rowley’s squad.
Some of those loanees only met the players they’d be playing with when they were picked up by the team coach on Sunday morning, and without them, the Red Devils would not have been able to field a team, so the fixture would have been in jeopardy.
Hull FC coach weighs in on ‘really sad’ Salford Red Devils saga after thumping win
Only some slack attack late on, and a try out of dummy-half from Leigh Leopards loanee Brad Dwyer for Salford, prevented the scoreline from becoming a record-breaking one.
Hull had been 50-0 up at half-time and looked likely to break the barrier of the 82-0 scoreline St Helens beat Salford’s youngsters by in Round 1 this term.
But that 82-0 win remains Super League’s all-time biggest win and, in turn, biggest defeat.
Speaking post-match, FC’s head coach Cartwright admitted: “It’s hard to know what to take out of the game, with the preparation that Salford had, they were always going to struggle.
“It’s really sad, isn’t it?
“Let’s just hope that we find out why and how (the situation has happened), people are accountable, and we make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
“For the game and for all the fans of the game, that’s what should be primary in everyone’s thoughts.”
The Airlie Birds moved up to sixth on the Super League ladder with the two competition points they picked up, and host third-placed Leigh at the MKM Stadium next Saturday evening.
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