Salford Coach Defends Sneyd Green Card Incident in Loss to Wigan Warriors
Salford Red Devils coach Paul Rowley has insisted that no one from his side called for play to be stopped in the moments leading up to Marc Sneyd’s green card, which ultimately led to a crucial try for Wigan Warriors in their 26-6 victory on Sunday.
Sneyd was down on the field and appeared to require treatment before referee Tom Grant halted the match midway through the first half and issued the green card, forcing Sneyd to leave the field for two minutes. However, Rowley maintained that Salford did not request the stoppage that resulted in the green card ruling.
“We weren’t confused – it wasn’t a green card,” Rowley said. “We didn’t ask for play to be stopped. I think they realised it was wrong.”
According to the Rugby Football League’s (RFL) regulations, only a physio, doctor or head trainer can call for a stoppage that leads to a green card, and with Sneyd off the pitch, Wigan capitalized by scoring an 18-0 lead through a try from Brad O’Neill.
Sneyd and members of the Salford bench later approached the match commissioner seeking an explanation, and Rowley described the incident as one of several “harsh calls” that hindered his side’s ability to gain a foothold in the match. The Salford coach insisted the officials “realized it was wrong” to issue the green card.
Salford’s First-Half Struggles
Rowley acknowledged that Salford were the architects of their own downfall in the first half, from which they were unable to mount a successful comeback.
“We had 25 minutes where we didn’t respect the opposition and we gave Wigan some opportunities that they didn’t necessarily have to work hard enough to earn,” Rowley added. “As a result of that we found ourselves 18 points down but we felt at half-time we had got into arm wrestle, and that gave us a lot of optimism at the start of the second half.”
Despite the loss, Rowley expressed satisfaction with some of the adjustments made by his team in the second half, stating, “Whilst we can never be happy with a loss, we are satisfied with some things that we put right and we can take a lot of positives.”
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