“We weren’t confused” – Salford Red Devils coach questions green card controversy
Salford coach Paul Rowley insisted nobody associated with the Red Devils called for play to be stopped in the moments that led to Marc Sneyd being issued a green card seconds before Wigan scored a crucial try in Sunday’s defeat to the Warriors.
Sneyd was down and appeared to require treatment before referee Tom Grant stopped the game midway through the first half of the Warriors’ 26-6 win at Salford. Grant then issued a green card to Sneyd, which required him to leave the field for two minutes – but Salford were adamant nobody from their side requested a stoppage.
Per the RFL’s rules, only a physio, doctor or head trainer can call for a stoppage that leads to a green card and with Sneyd off the field, Wigan moved 18-0 ahead when Brad O’Neill scored.
Sneyd and members of the Salford bench then approached the match commissioner for an explanation – with Rowley saying the moment was one of a number of “harsh calls” that cost his side the chance to get a foothold in the match. And Rowley insisted the officials ‘realised it was wrong’ to hand out the green card.
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“We weren’t confused – it wasn’t a green card,” he said. “We didn’t ask for play to be stopped. I think they realised it was wrong.”
However, Rowley insisted Salford were architects of their own downfall in that first half, from which they never recovered enough to mount a comeback.
“We had 25 minutes where we didn’t respect the opposition and we gave Wigan some opportunities that they didn’t necessarily have to work hard enough to earn,” added Rowley.
“As a result of that we found ourselves 18 points down but we felt at half-time we had got into arm wrestle, and that gave us a lot of optimism at the start of the second half.
“We felt we could go and make a fist of it and we did not give up on the cause at all. Whilst we can never be happy with a loss, we are satisfied with some things that we put right and we can take a lot of positives.”
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