“Massive own goal” – Pundit hits out after Salford Red Devils controversy

Salford Red Devils’ squad selection and huge defeat that followed was a “massive own goal” for Super League according to one leading pundit.

St Helens dispatched of what was effectively the Salford Red Devils Reserves/Academy side on Saturday with Paul Wellens’ team winning by a Super League record margin of 82-0.

Prior to Saturday, no team had been beaten by a margin of 80 or more points but the young Red Devils were unfortunate to break that record on the opening weekend of the new season.

Salford remain limited to just £1.2 million on the salary cap meaning they cannot field a plethora of their stars, however, they were able to name plenty of first-team players including the likes of Nene Macdonald, Jayden Nikorima and Ryan Brierley in the Challenge Cup clash a week prior.

As such, all of those players could have played for Salford on Saturday as they came in under the £1.2 million cap but Red Devils boss Paul Rowley explained that miscommunication and a reluctance to ‘introduce players to each other on the bus’ meant it was “impossible” to name a stronger side.

In the end, Salford only had 16 players available for the match and St Helens took full advantage as they ran in 15 tries and won 82-0, triggering questions from pundit and commentator Kyle Amor.

“Massive own goal” – Pundit hits out after Salford Red Devils controversy

Amor, who served as a pundit on the game for the BBC, has since taken to X where he has described the game as a “massive own goal for the sport” – particularly given the fact it was a prime time game on free-to-air TV with little to oppose it.

“Did Rugby League miss a huge opportunity this weekend?,” Amor asked on his X account.

“Following Thursday night’s thrilling opener, we’ve seen three games decided by a total of just four points—great viewing for Rugby League fans! But despite the excitement, yesterday felt like a massive own goal for the sport.”

Explaining his reasoning, Amor cited the lack of other sports broadcast at the time and the fact that Super League needs to use it’s handful of BBC games to maximise it’s reach.

He continued: “With no Six Nations on TV, Rugby League had a golden opportunity to showcase its best talent in a prime-time terrestrial slot on the BBC. Instead, Salford—still restricted by salary cap limitations following their takeover—fielded a side full of young, inexperienced players.

“The result was an 82-0 scoreline that does little for either team, the competition, or the sport as a whole. Of course, there are two sides to every story, but surely a better solution could have been found to ensure a more competitive spectacle?

“This was a moment to put Rugby League in the best possible light, and it feels like an opportunity wasted. What do you think? Could this have been handled better?”

Responses to Amor generally agreed that the situation could and should have been handled a lot better although there is confusion about where the blame lies with Paul Rowley having argued that all should take accountability.

Speaking to the BBC before the game, he said: “I’ll sit here and say I think there is a lot of factors. It’s a complex acquisition, it’s never happened before so I think we should all accept some accountability.

“We want to show the game on the BBC in the best way that we can. Our boys wanted to come here. This is the first time I’ve seen our boys absolutely rattled. We’ve got over the finish line and somebody has put another 100 metres on it.”

Salford Red Devils had previously announced that they had been taken over with ‘all debts cleared’, however, their new owners and the proof of funds must be ratified by the RFL which is why they were still held to the £1.2 million salary cap restriction.