Salford Red Devils coach makes brutally honest admission following huge Wakefield Trinity defeat

Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley says his side ‘got what they deserved’ as they were thumped 72-10 at Wakefield Trinity on Sunday afternoon, admitting certain individuals failed to ‘stand up’ when required.

Trinity, who were promoted back up to Super League ahead of 2025, ran in 13 tries at Belle Vue to equal their own biggest-ever win in the competition.

Salford‘s only responses came through tries from loanee Jonny Vaughan and Papua New Guinea international Nene Macdonald, but both of those efforts were merely consolations to a side that had found themselves 30-0 down come half-time.

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‘I can’t dress it up… there were individuals that stood up, and I think there were some that didn’t’

The Red Devils remain rock bottom of the Super League ladder having won just one of their first 12 games this season amid the club’s ongoing financial plight.

And though that plight is having a huge role in how they’re faring this term, Rowley refused to use it as an excuse post-match.

Instead, as he spoke to Sky Sports, the 50-year-old delivered an honest assessment of his side’s performance and where they’d let themselves down in West Yorkshire.

He detailed: “I thought Wakefield were excellent, but I can’t dress it up.

“Most weeks, we’ve been able to say that we’ve had a dig, but today is really disappointing across the board in all aspects of it. It’s been a difficult day.

“On the evidence of today, it looked like we didn’t keep the motivation going there. There were individuals that stood up, and I think there were some that didn’t.

“I never want to be too publicly critical of the side because of the circumstances we’ve been in all year, however it looked very much like men v boys there.

“This game is very much simple. If you’re not prepared to bend your back and muscle up defensively then you’re in a bit of trouble.

“I didn’t think we were willing or able to do that enough today, and we got what we deserved.”

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