Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley reflected on a difficult week after watching his lose 22-14 against Castleford Tigers.
A late try from Judah Rimbu dashed the visitors’ hopes of snatching the points after a week in which Salford’s players had refused to fully train until Thursday over unpaid wages.
Payments were finally made to the players on Thursday evening, banishing the lingering threat of the game being postponed.
However, the lack of training had left Rowley’s men ill-equipped to take on the challenge of facing Danny McGuire’s men.
Paul Rowley said: “We asked them to battle hard and work hard which you would say are givens in this sport but we’ve obviously had some distractions and not practised.”
“I was very proud and grateful that the players came together, and while it wasn’t polished, I thought they tried to cover each other’s backs and find a way through hard work.
“The tries we conceded were rubbish really from our point of view. We’ve had a lot of adversity throughout the game as well as the week, so I can’t ask any more of them on the effort front,” he continued.
Salford’s problems are far from over – with the club’s backroom staff still not paid – and frustrated rival bosses having requested clarity from the Rugby Football League over the source of Thursday’s payment to the Salford squad.
The club’s ongoing salary cap sanction will leave Paul Rowley little room for manoeuvre ahead of next week’s Challenge Cup clash with Bradford, but he added: “We’re taking it one day at a time, as we have been doing for the last few months.
“It’s been a difficult period but other clubs have been through it.
“We’re appreciative of the support from other people around different clubs and I’d like to think this experience will serve us well when other people might enter into difficulties in the future.”
Nonetheless, the Salford defeat handed Castleford their first win of the season with tries from Liam Horne, Muizz Mustapha and Rimbu, plus 10 points from the boot of Tex Hoy.
The hosts also had three second half tries disallowed by the video referee and until Rimbu’s late opportunistic effort from dummy-half effectively sealed their win.
However, it looked like two Marc Sneyd kicks could send the two sides to golden point.
Following the victory, Tigers boss McGuire said: “We have had to overcome a lot of challenges this week with all the stories about Salford and I’ve tried to take a bit of pressure off the players by not focusing on the things we can’t control.
“The game wasn’t a spectacle for tension and drama, but I’m really pleased for the players, having seen what they put themselves through in pre-season.
“They showed a lot of character, and they worked really hard.”
He continued: “It wasn’t perfect, but they kept working for each other and that’s what we’re trying to bring to this club – some commitment, some steel and some players that want to work hard – and we’re getting there.”
The Red Devils are now one of only three sides in the league without a win this season, with Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons still yet to play their fourth league fixture.
Salford will now have to turn their attention to the Bradford Bulls in the Challenge Cup on Friday 14 March – with a win hoping to give fans something to cheer about.
More information about the home fixture can be found here.
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