Paul Rowley hopes Salford Red Devils can finally start to focus on the future after another week of turmoil ended with a 22-14 defeat away to Castleford Tigers.
The Red Devils went into the battle of two of the Betfred Super League’s winless teams having not trained due to the delay in receiving February’s wages, which were eventually paid on Friday morning.
That delay saw the club placed back under a £1.2million sustainability cap by the RFL, with Rowley only able to name a bare 17-player squad for the trip to Castleford, but the head coach is determined not to dwell on matters even though he acknowledged it will be difficult.
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“I know I’m very proud to represent Salford and I know all the boys are, so we want to march forward and represent this club in the way we should – and ourselves as well,” Rowley told Sky Sports.
“We all represent ourselves, so we want to put our best foot forward and we want to do that with a clear head, a clear mindset, and a clear vision of where we want to go.
“There is a bit to get through, I reckon. There is some fixing-up to do on the field, but more off it and the mental side of it.
“We ask for nothing and this game will give you nothing, so we know better than to ask for it. We’ve got to fix ourselves and move quick in doing so.”
Judah Rimbu’s converted try and a penalty from Tex Hoy took the game beyond Salford in the final four minutes, after tries from Ryan Brierley and Kallum Watkins plus the kicking of ex-Tigers player Marc Sneyd had drawn them level at 14-14.
The Red Devils now face Castleford’s Betfred Challenge Cup conquerors Bradford Bulls in the fourth round next Friday followed by returning to Super League action at home to Huddersfield Giants on March 20.
Rowley praised the attitude of his players in the defeat to Cas, although admitted they still have work to do after a tough start to the year both on and off the field.
“I think it’ll take a little bit of fixing, to be fair,” Rowley said. “You don’t do so long on an emotional roller-coaster and just flick the switch overnight, but that’ll be our intentions.
“We wanted to come through with our circle intact and tight after this weekend, and next week is a new week.
“We’ll start looking at what the future looks like for us as a group – how do we repair it? Have we come through it intact? Are we together or are we not? We’ll work that out next week.
“I’m grateful for their players and their efforts, just turning up and having a dig like they did. I’m very proud of them.”
