Salford Red Devils Coach Provides Injury Update after Narrow Victory over St Helens
Following Salford Red Devils’ hard-fought 20-18 win over reigning Super League champions St Helens, head coach Paul Rowley offered an update on the fitness of two key players – Tim Lafai and Ryan Brierley.
Samoa international Lafai was a late withdrawal from Rowley’s matchday squad, having pulled his hamstring during the pre-match warm-up. However, Rowley praised the resilience of the team, with back-rower Sam Stone impressing in the centres as a late replacement, while 18th man Nathan Connell stepped up to fill the void on the bench.
“He pulled his hammy in the warm up,” Rowley explained. “It’s as simple as that really, we got a quick message, he felt it pop so it’s as simple as that, we made a quick change and a reflection of the group is that nobody batted an eyelid to be honest, we were all chilled about it and Sam Stone stepped in and did a great job.”
Fullback Ryan Brierley, who has been sidelined since the defeat to Wigan Warriors on May 26 due to a shoulder injury, is nearing a return to action, though he was ruled out of the St Helens clash.
“He was touch and go for this week but we were comfortable with Chris Hankinson because his form is great,” Rowley added.
The Red Devils boss also reserved special praise for hooker Joe Mellor, who has impressed since joining the club from Leigh Leopards in the off-season, making a significant contribution in the narrow win over the reigning champions.
“Joe is doing what we know Joe can do,” Rowley said. “He’s a footballer isn’t he? We’ve got quite a few old school footballers in our team which we like and he just takes his opportunities.”
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