Salford Red Devils' no-show at Wigan Warriors is secondary to Super League's main integrity issue

Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Salford Red Devils may well make seventeen changes to their team tonight—good for them. Coach Paul Rowley has decided to rest all of his stars after they secured their play-off spot last week, essentially handing Wigan Warriors a free pass to clinch the League Leaders' Shield.

It resulted in the governing body asking Salford for an explanation, one the Reds have now delivered and will result in no further action. It is common practice for the governing body to go through this process when major changes are made, but it almost always comes to nothing.

Salford were required to provide medical evidence to support the withdrawal of their players, something that is very easy to do given the brutal nature and physical turmoil players go through.

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The Reds have done what is best for them. Securing a play-off spot a week early gives them that luxury and while they now risk not bagging a home tie in the quarter-finals, they will still acquire that if Leigh beat St Helens. It's a calculated gamble.

There's no denying that it's a bad look for Super League, with what should have been a dramatic conclusion to the regular season a foregone conclusion before it has started. And of course, it damages competition integrity too.

But let's remember that this is a competition that has a set of fixtures where you play some teams three times and others twice. Loop fixtures are far more damaging to competition integrity than Salford's players taking a week off and if people really want to go down the route of accusing Salford of hurting the competition's integrity, they should look at the imbalanced fixture list first.

It is a shame that the shield will be won in such underwhelming circumstances and it does nothing to help improve its credibility as a major trophy. Wigan and Hull KR's season-long battle deserved a good ending and it won't get that.

But that isn't Salford's issue who, let's not forget, were told at short notice that the fixture was being moved forward 24 hours. It's doubtful their position would have changed if it hadn't, but only having five days to rest and prepare a week before knockout rugby league isn't ideal.

As for Hull KR, ask them privately, and they would likely admit that Salford's decision didn't surprise them. Don't forget they did the exact same thing last year before the Challenge Cup Final. They will look back on their loss to Wigan or inability to turn chances into points against Warrington at the start of the season as the reason they didn't win the shield, not because Salford decided to turn up with their reserve team in the final round.

Whether it's the right decision for Salford remains to be seen. Should they lose their home advantage to Saints and then lose to them next week, it's a call that will come under scrutiny. Alternatively, should they win in the quarter-finals, whether that be against Saints or Leigh, it will be considered another Rowley masterstroke. Until then, it's a decision that makes sense.

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