Salford Red Devils man confirms £2,000 fine threat as squad mental wellbeing discussed

Salford Red Devils man Ryan Brierley has spoken on the mental wellbeing of players at the club as they try to navigate the ongoing issues, with the full-back also confirming that players were threatened with a £2,000 fine if they did not play.

Reports that the owners would fine players for not playing emerged last week amidst another late pay day and whilst the squad was in yet more turmoil

Red Devils coach Paul Rowley confirmed that of his 25-man squad, three could not play due to salary cap restrictions and a further seven were injured, meaning it looked unlikely for the club to name a full 17-man squad.

By Sunday, when Salford played Wigan, a very different 17-man squad was named with a number of academy players called up and two senior players in Kallum Watkins and Chris Atkin missing, believed to have refused to play, whilst Leeds Rhinos are believed to be in talks with Watkins over a potential move.

Ryan Brierley has since confirmed to the BBC the reports that players were threatened with fines of £2,000 if they refused to play.

Salford Red Devils man confirms £2,000 fine threat

The Salford full-back has spoken at length with the broadcaster, who aired the Red Devils’ 54-0 loss against Wigan on iPlayer this past weekend, with Brierley explaining the situation as he sees it.

“We’ve all got contractual agreements, when we’re fit and healthy, to perform to the best of our ability,” he explained, before speaking on the club’s stance.

“The club’s stance was that if we were paid – at the time of that meeting, we weren’t paid – we must be able to field a team and put our best foot forward, and if we didn’t do that there would be repercussions and consequences, I suppose like there would be in any team.”

Whilst there would understandably be repercussions in most workplaces if employees did not turn up to work, it’s very different in rugby league given the physical nature of the sport and the short length of careers.

Couple the threat of fines with the fact that Paul Rowley has admitted that a number of players played through injuries that would have generally ruled players out and you have to question if the threat of fines played a role in those players’ decisions.

Brierley continued: “It’s a really sensitive topic for us because of what we’ve been through over the last six months. It was a sensitive issue but ultimately there are people at the club who have got to protect the club, and players want to protect themselves and their families so it’s a really touchy and awkward scenario.”

“Seeing players’ mental wellbeing deteriorate is certainly not nice” – Ryan Brierley discusses mental toil of Salford saga

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Not only is it an awkward scenario for players who have faced uncertainty over the ability to provide for their family and pay off mortgages, it’s also an awful scenario for everyone involved from a mental health standpoint and Brierley touched on that.

“It’s obviously been tough,” he stated.

“When you see your friends and close team-mates struggling, it’s not nice. Seeing players’ mental wellbeing deteriorate in front of your eyes is certainly not nice. It’s been a long process with a lot of us just hoping that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Paul Rowley has stated his belief that the end of the tunnel, or “finish line” as he put it, could be in the middle to end of April when owners move to purchase the stadium, however, he was keen to emphasise that was his thought process and not a guarantee.

By then Salford could have lost a number of other players and Brierley himself spoke about his own future, stating: “You’d be foolish to ignore all the talk and the issues around the club so my agent will be doing his best to make sure my best interests are at heart and he looks after my priorities.

“Ultimately, while I’m contracted to Salford Red Devils and keep getting paid to be a professional rugby league player, I’ll always put my best foot forward and put my hand up to play for this club.

“Those conversations will be ongoing over the next couple of days or weeks going forward but whilst I’m still contracted I’ve still got a job to do.”