Ryan Brierley asks major ‘what if’ question as he accepts Salford Red Devils are “the problem”
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2025 5:28 pm
Salford Red Devils captain Ryan Brierley has conceded that the club “are the problem” and that the blame for their current financial difficulties cannot be pinned elsewhere.
In an honest and somewhat emotional interview, the newly-appointed Salford skipper (following the sale of Kallum Watkins) spoke about the current state of the club, admitting that the Red Devils have no one to blame but themselves.
Despite that, he noted that the players are among those being punished the most for the club’s financial mismanagement
Brierley made his arguments when appearing on Sky Sports’ The Bench Podcast alongside hosts Jon Wilkin and Jenna Brooks, with the full-back speaking ahead of last Thursday’s game against Leeds Rhinos.
Salford would lose that game 28-0 with the Red Devils having to field a huge number of academy players as injuries and the restricted salary cap continue to pinch.
Ryan Brierley asks major ‘what if’ question as he accepts Salford Red Devils are “the problem”
Asked about the current situation, which sees Salford in special measures and forced to operate on a £1.2 million salary cap after having requested an advance on their RFL central funding, Brierley was asked if the club were at fault.
“100%, as much as blame will be thrown at others, ultimately we are the problem,” he conceded.
We’ve made the errors, the club have made the errors. We’ve spent too much and we shouldn’t have done it. I’d love to be able to blame everyone else.”
For a number of years, Salford have been seen to overachieve based on their spend and that was in part due to savvy dealings and brilliant coaching, but it was also a result of ambition to field a team that the club simply couldn’t afford in the long run.
With no wealthy benefactor to write off debts, as many Super League clubs do, Salford simply ran out of steam but Brierley recalled how questions were asked as early as 2023.
He explained: “I remember when Brodie Croft signed a seven-year deal asking Paul Rowley if we could still afford our team and the answer was yes, so that’s why they committed to seven years.
“It’s different in rugby league to football, look at Haaland with a ten-year deal, but they know they’ve got an asset that they can sell. It doesn’t normally happen in rugby league.”
Brierley would then ask that if Salford not commanded a fee for Croft and Ackers, believed to be around £300,000, what would have happened.
He said: “We were quite lucky that Leeds paid for Brodie and Andy Ackers because what would have happened if they didn’t? We’d have still had Brodie Croft on a multi-thousand pound contract for a number of years, so where would we have been then?
“We’ve been irresponsible but I think at the moment, the only people being punished are the players which is what I don’t like.”
https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/ryan-bri ... em-103558/
In an honest and somewhat emotional interview, the newly-appointed Salford skipper (following the sale of Kallum Watkins) spoke about the current state of the club, admitting that the Red Devils have no one to blame but themselves.
Despite that, he noted that the players are among those being punished the most for the club’s financial mismanagement
Brierley made his arguments when appearing on Sky Sports’ The Bench Podcast alongside hosts Jon Wilkin and Jenna Brooks, with the full-back speaking ahead of last Thursday’s game against Leeds Rhinos.
Salford would lose that game 28-0 with the Red Devils having to field a huge number of academy players as injuries and the restricted salary cap continue to pinch.
Ryan Brierley asks major ‘what if’ question as he accepts Salford Red Devils are “the problem”
Asked about the current situation, which sees Salford in special measures and forced to operate on a £1.2 million salary cap after having requested an advance on their RFL central funding, Brierley was asked if the club were at fault.
“100%, as much as blame will be thrown at others, ultimately we are the problem,” he conceded.
We’ve made the errors, the club have made the errors. We’ve spent too much and we shouldn’t have done it. I’d love to be able to blame everyone else.”
For a number of years, Salford have been seen to overachieve based on their spend and that was in part due to savvy dealings and brilliant coaching, but it was also a result of ambition to field a team that the club simply couldn’t afford in the long run.
With no wealthy benefactor to write off debts, as many Super League clubs do, Salford simply ran out of steam but Brierley recalled how questions were asked as early as 2023.
He explained: “I remember when Brodie Croft signed a seven-year deal asking Paul Rowley if we could still afford our team and the answer was yes, so that’s why they committed to seven years.
“It’s different in rugby league to football, look at Haaland with a ten-year deal, but they know they’ve got an asset that they can sell. It doesn’t normally happen in rugby league.”
Brierley would then ask that if Salford not commanded a fee for Croft and Ackers, believed to be around £300,000, what would have happened.
He said: “We were quite lucky that Leeds paid for Brodie and Andy Ackers because what would have happened if they didn’t? We’d have still had Brodie Croft on a multi-thousand pound contract for a number of years, so where would we have been then?
“We’ve been irresponsible but I think at the moment, the only people being punished are the players which is what I don’t like.”
https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/ryan-bri ... em-103558/