Salford Red Devils down to 15 players as bleak squad update given

Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley has revealed that he is back down to a squad of just 15 players as things stand for Sunday’s trip to Wigan Warriors, and that figure includes new loan signing George Hill.

The Red Devils have been one of the stories of the Super League season so far, but for all of the wrong reasons – with their financial plight still not at an end.

Back under an RFL-imposed Sustainability Cap for the second time in a matter of months after payment of February’s wages  from the consortium that have taken over the club were heavily delayed, there is seemingly no end in sight.

Rowley’s side got their first league win of the campaign last Thursday night at home against Huddersfield Giants.

They now face the daunting prospect of a trip to reigning champions Wigan, who they will face with a skeleton squad unless things change dramatically over the next few days.

Salford Red Devils coach delivers utterly bleak squad update ahead of Wigan Warriors clash

Marc Sneyd, Brad Singleton and Tim Lafai have all departed the club in recent weeks, but their exits haven’t brought a great deal of change in terms of the flexibility Rowley has had with his squad.

Ahead of the trip to Wigan, the Red Devils boss sat down with the media on Wednesday afternoon, and delivered an update.

He detailed: “Harvey Wilson failed a head assessment (against Huddersfield), so he’s definitely out.

“Without me naming my squad, we’ve got three (playing) with copious pain injections. Of those, two are definites and one we’re trying to squeeze through (to play).

“We’ve got a 25-man squad at a cost of just under £1.8 million, seven are injured and we’ve got three other players who aren’t injured but can’t play.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately in rugby league, you’ve got honest men who just want to pull a shirt on whether they’re fit or not.

“Lads are putting their hands up to play who probably shouldn’t be in certain aspects.

“I don’t want a headline to say I’m throwing a welfare issue in, so I’m giving you the facts and you can decide whether it’s a welfare issue.

“George Hill will play this week (after joining on a one-month loan from Castleford). The loan’s completed. He’s one of the 15.”

‘Everybody’s making a big effort, tomorrow will be pay day, and that will be two lots of wages gone in’

Chris Hankinson and Nene Macdonald are two of the other men still in Rowley’s 25-man squad who have been heavily linked with a move away.

Hankinson picked up an injury in the Challenge Cup against Bradford Bulls recently, but Papua New Guinea international Macdonald is one of the three who currently aren’t allowed to be selected due to reasons surrounding the Sustainability Cap.

Rowley continued: “25 players, seven of those injured and three can’t play. At £1.78 million in total, we’ve taken I think £300-and something thousand off with players sold.

“Everybody’s making a big effort, tomorrow will be pay day, and that will be two lots of wages gone in.

“We’ve been told no, (we can’t play the three). Nene (Macdonald), Sam Davis and Ben Hellewell. They don’t get the reward of being able to play.

“Nene’s constantly been training, he’s fit and good to go. Sam’s coming off the back of a long-term injury, so he’s excited tat the prospect of being able to play, and Ben Hellewell has been waiting in the wings really.

“It’s obviously frustrating, but we can only do what we can do.”