Paul Rowley provides further clarity on controversial squad selection with RFL admission made

Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley says the RFL’s rigidness over their salary cap limitations forced his hand where squad selection for Saturday’s trip to St Helens was concerned.

The Red Devils have been embroiled in a financial saga virtually the whole way through the off-season – with a takeover finally confirmed last Friday.

For now though, while due diligence is carried out on that takeover, limitations on their salary cap remain in place with Rowley unable to field anything beyond £1.2 million worth of players across the season.

Last weekend’s win at League 1 outfit Midlands Hurricanes in the Challenge Cup saw a blend of youth and experience utilised to remain under the cap.

But come their Round 1 Super League opener at St Helens on Saturday evening, live in front of the BBC cameras, Salford essentially fielded a reserves side.

Paul Rowley provides further clarity on controversial St Helens squad selection

Joe Bullock, Tiaki Chan and Ben Hellewell were the only three senior men in a 16-man squad which left the interchange bench unfulfilled.

Having already provided some context behind the decision in a pre-match interview with the BBC, Rowley sat down with the media post-match following an 82-0 drubbing.

He explained: “You can’t play the same 17 players week in, week out, so that same 17 players (from the Midlands game) wasn’t available.

“As it happens, I picked a team last week not on cap but on resting key players. I rested Tim (Lafai), Sneydy (Marc Sneyd), Kallum Watkins, Chris Hill in readiness for this game as St Helens did with their team (against West Hull).

“I had no idea last week that you can only pick from the same players, so if we didn’t get this (takeover) over the line for six weeks, they can’t play.

“I just want to know if it’s a punishment or a protective measure for our club?

“I could put a team out at £1.2 million, but I wasn’t allowed, so I’m not sure what I’m meant to do.

“I can’t put half a team out made of the reserves (and first-team) and introduce them all on the bus because I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.

“They don’t deserve that, not this week, they’ve been rattled this week and so have I. It’s emotionally difficult, for me and my players. We wanted to come here today and put our best foot forward.

“Out of all the tough situations that we’ve been in, we’ve been peppered every single day (this week). Nobody has asked or supported those players, nobody has bothered to look in on them.

“We’ve looked after each other, we’ve stuck together and we’ve been loyal. We got to the finish line, but the finish line got moved just as we passed. This week rattled everyone because we didn’t see it coming.”

‘We’ve got a rulebook at the RFL that I think sometimes can be a little bit rigid’

Salford’s next game now comes on February 22 at home against Leeds Rhinos in Round 2 of the new Super League season, with the club still none the wiser as to whether the takeover will be ratified and completed in time for that clash.

If it isn’t, there’s the possibility that a very similar team to the one fielded against Saints will be called upon.

At one stage on Saturday evening, the Red Devils’ matchday squad was down to 15 players after Harrison was forced off for a HIA which he eventually passed.

Asked by LoveRugbyLeague about the player welfare side of the game, and whether he feels let down by the powers that be in that aspect, Rowley responded: “I don’t want to dig into that, and I think there’s accountability from different quarters.

“I’ll stick my hand up there as well, but there’s more quarters (than me), and I think if given the time again, all parties would do things slightly differently.

“Up until 1pm yesterday afternoon (Friday), there was still dialogue and discussion going on as to whether we could put out the team that I wanted to put out.

“This is a late thing that’s happened, so we’re all a little bit disappointed really because we just want to showcase the game to people.

“I can always deal with things when I can apply logic, but I struggle to apply logic to this.

“Everyone’s trying to work together. We’ve got a rulebook at the RFL that I think sometimes can be a little bit rigid.

“If you want to apply rules rigidly, (you can), or you can make things happen for the good of the game. We’ve gone down the rigid route here, in my opinion.

“The good of the game would have been a more important route to take and it wouldn’t have been one that anyone would’ve complained about, I don’t think.”