St Helens star claims Salford Red Devils scoreline “tarnished” Round One of Super League

St Helens prop Alex Walmsley has given his verdict on last week’s blowout win over Salford Red Devils, claiming it “tarnished” a great opening round in Super League.

Whilst two games went to golden point and another was separated by just two points, the Saturday evening fixture between St Helens and Salford Red Devils saw the Saints win 82-0.

That broke a Super League record for the largest margin of victory and created all the wrong headlines for the sport in an otherwise excellent opening round.

Saints’ huge win came as a result of Salford naming a 16-man squad made up primarily of reserve team players, something that the Red Devils are currently being investigated for.

Despite the bizarre line-up, St Helens still approached the game as they normally would and that resulted in the blowout win which Walmsley has now spoken about live on TalkSport.

He argued: “I think it probably tarnished what was a great opening weekend for Super League but unfortunately the situation that Salford found themselves in forced them to play that hand.

“I think the good news is that the takeover has been approved today so they’re going back into full strength this week and yeah let’s hope they will we’ll never see that kind of game again.”

St Helens star claims Salford Red Devils scoreline “tarnished” Round One of Super League

Salford Red Devils did confirm earlier today that their takeover has been approved with the club naming their stars to face Leeds Rhinos on Saturday but Walmsley wanted to give credit to those who turned out last weekend.

The 34-year-old stated: “We as professionals can only play what’s in front of us but I’d like to give credit to those Salford players who came out and pulled that jersey on.

“They were game and they were really up for it and despite obviously a record margin they did themselves proud.”

He even added: “I really enjoyed that game, seeing so many kids sort of make a debut. I enjoyed it for that kind of reason, not for the fact that it was a blowout score.

“That’s all done and dusted now, hopefully we can get Salford back to what they do best, they’re a competitive side and they’ll be right up there this year.”

Of course, the huge win shot St Helens to the top of Super League and the huge 82-point differential is one that effectively equates to two or even three very good wins, something Walmsley is happy to take but doesn’t want to see for the good of the game.

The England prop recalled: “It was only a couple of years ago we actually finished third because of points difference so unfortunately this can happen. We won’t be complaining to have an 82 points advantage but we don’t want to see those kind of games.”

It puts St Helens in the driving seat ahead of their game against Castleford Tigers on Saturday, a game that will be live on TalkSport, and the Red Vee will be hoping to harness the momentum after a difficult year in 2024.

“Personally it was a frustrating season last year,” Walmsley explained.

“The type of game that we play, injuries are unfortunately just part of the game and you’ll pick them up. As a club we suffered quite badly with injuries and suffered because of that in the league and subsequently in the playoffs at the end of the year.

“The one good thing about having the kind of disruptive seasons that you have, as we had last season, is that you get some blood from young lads through.

“Without these adverse times, you don’t really get to see what these young kids are about and we’ll be a lot better this year.”

📻 Big Al will be LIVE on @talkSPORT on Thursday afternoon

Tune in from 1:30pm to hear @engywalmsley join @tSHandJ to discuss all things Saints and Super Leaguehttps://t.co/Zbx0jvr3Wh#COYS pic.twitter.com/0Gmdk56kA6

— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) February 19, 2025