Tiaki Chan opens up on turbulent Salford Red Devils experience as honest admission made

Tiaki Chan says the year he spent on loan with Salford Red Devils during their financial demise has changed his perspective on the game forever.

It’s almost 12 months to the day since Chan joined then-fellow Super League outfit Salford from parent club Wigan Warriors.

The Red Devils’ financial problems had arisen a few months prior, but things were looking on the up following a takeover which ultimately delivered very little bar false promise after false promise.

Across the season which followed, Chan was one of very few mainstays in Paul Rowley’s side as players came and went amid a continuous decline.

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Tiaki Chan opens up on turbulent Salford Red Devils experience as honest admission made

Four-time France international Chan played 23 games for the Red Devils across all competitions, scoring two tries, including one in a victory at Warrington Wolves.

He is now back with parent club Wigan, and the club he represented on loan last year don’t officially even exist anymore, with the Red Devils having been liquidated.

Salford have re-formed though, and are now competing in the Championship, with people like Mason Caton-Brown and Chan’s former team-mate Ryan Brierley at the heart of their new organisation.

Speaking to LoveRugbyLeague during Wigan’s pre-season media day earlier this week, Chan was honest in his assessment of last year, saying: “It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

“I saw another side of rugby league, and I think that I was meant to be there at that time, experiencing that.

“I’ve got nothing but love for everyone in that organisation, all of the players and the staff, and the fans especially.

“They stuck with us and stuck with the club all the way through the whole thing.

Having compiled a largely youthful squad, Salford‘s first game since re-forming saw them open up the Championship season with a 44-0 defeat at home against Oldham.

That game though attracted a crowd close to 5,000, with fans flocking to show their joy at just having a club to support, and those fans were rewarded with a Challenge Cup Second Round victory at Hammersmith Hills Hoists last weekend.

Chan added: “It just showed me that rugby league is not always about winning or money or even clubs.

“It’s all about history and what it means to people, that’s a good lesson I learned there, and it’s a lesson I really appreciated.”