Salford Red Devils boss on “tempering his expectations” following another heavy defeat to St Helens

Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley has shared his thoughts on another heavy defeat for his side against St Helens.

Not only was it a huge loss, but they also failed to score again, losing 58-0.

Rowley said his side never really got a foothold on the game, and the floodgates opened, especially in the second half.

Talking to Sky Sports post-match, he said: “It was tough right from the beginning.

“I just don’t think we applied ourselves right. It’s a really fine line between reasons and excuses.

“I think we’ve had a lot of reasons this year, but I’m not going to accept the excuses today.

“We started off by dipping our toes in physically. You know that when you get to Saints, it’s not a lot of magic that they’re going to throw at you, but they’re going to test you physically.

“I don’t think we applied ourselves in that area, and we got what we deserved in the end.”

The Salford Red Devils boss was expecting a much better performance, considering the players he picked, with plenty of experience among many of them.

Rowley said he has to perhaps change what he expects from his squad and try to pick a consistent team.

He added: “On paper, we probably had enough players and personnel to perform a lot better than that.

“Obviously, the reasons would be that that group of players haven’t really repped out together.

“We’ve rushed some back from injury, so there are a lot of contributing factors.

“I’ve got to temper my expectations somewhat, but it’s been a bit of a journey this one.

“Forgive me if I want, and I’m eager to take a step forward.”

Salford Red Devils boss on whether there’s light at the end of the tunnel for his club and credits a physical Saints side

Rowley said it was always going to be a tough ask to come and beat St Helens at home, as they fell to their third defeat of the season to them.

He said: “You can’t come to St Helens and expect anything to be given to you; you’ve got to earn it.

“We just didn’t do that today. Every game offers you an opportunity, and we certainly didn’t take it today.

“Saints did what they did, and they’re a club that has been consistently good for years. They’re physical, they play the simple game very, very well, and credit to them.”

When asked if there’s light at the end of the tunnel for his players, the Salford Red Devils boss remained in good spirits.

He finished: “I mean, I’ve had that feeling for a long time. I continue to have that feeling, and that’s the only way to be really.

“It’s important that we’re optimistic and positive because otherwise, that’s contagious, isn’t it?

“We need to get some training under our belts and a consistent team. Adding Danny Richardson has been really good for our week, so players like that, adding to the group, are really important to us.

“If we can get some quality on the field, get some reps in on the training field and apply ourselves right, it’s not rocket science. We were well beaten today and hats off to St Helens.”

Full-time. pic.twitter.com/3r3sPA7LOt

— Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) June 29, 2025