Salford Red Devils’ restricted squad options for Castleford game including ineligible stars

Salford Red Devils are back under salary cap restrictions imposed upon them by the Rugby Football League: and they look unlikely to be lifted before this Friday’s game against Castleford Tigers.

The Red Devils will only be able to select £1.2million worth of talent for that game as it stands – and their actions earlier in the season will now have a direct impact on Paul Rowley’s squad selection this weekend, it seems.

That is because Rowley selected a squad to that value when Salford defeated Midlands Hurricanes in the Challenge Cup, with the expectation that restrictions would be lifted the following week.

The Red Devils had to wait a week longer, with Rowley playing his reserves in the defeat to St Helens – but those players, or some of them, at least, may now have to come back into the mix.

And some of the key players who did not play against Midlands automatically have to be stood down this weekend. That includes captain Kallum Watkins, half-back Marc Sneyd and centre Tim Lafai.

Furthermore, some of the players who featured against Midlands like Joe Shorrocks and Jayden Nikorima are suspended. It leaves Salford with just SIXTEEN available first-team squad players.

And that list includes youngsters such as Kai Morgan and Nathan Connell.

That group is: Chris Atkin, Ryan Brierley, Joe Bullock, Tiaki Chan, Nathan Connell, Deon Cross, Matty Foster, Chris Hankinson, Ben Hellewell, Nene Macdonald, Esan Marsters, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormondroyd, Justin Sangare, Brad Singleton, Shane Wright.

Which means Rowley will categorically have to call on some of the youngsters who were thrown in at the deep end against St Helens just to make a full 17. And that is assuming Salford’s senior players will agree to play the game at all, having refused to train without their salaries.

The hope remains the situation can be resolved by Friday but there are a lot of hurdles to clear. Sources close to the club have indicated it will now be much, much tougher for restrictions to lifted given how the governing body did so once and were made to regret that decision.

The club will have to plead their case at a meeting on Wednesday: but the situation, in terms of this weekend’s game at least, looks increasingly bleak.