Paul Rowley reacts to Marc Sneyd drop-out call and Salford Red Devils character
Salford head coach Paul Rowley was ultimately disappointed in the manner of Thursday night's defeat to Wigan Warriors but he refused to blame Marc Sneyd for the loss.
Leading 12-10 with five minutes to go, Sneyd attempted a short drop-out, with the ball falling to Wigan centre Jake Wardle, who coasted home for a decisive try. Bevan French then added the gloss late on, with Salford dealt a sucker punch of their own making.
And while Rowley admitted the play was the wrong decision, he highlighted Sneyd's overall contribution as 'the best player on the field' in what was another strong showing from half-back. Asked about the drop-goal on Sky Sports, Rowley said: "It wasn't (the right play) but Sneydy was Man of the Match, and that was the right decision. He was the best player on the field.
"We've got no dramas. You win some and you lose some. He's been brilliant for us, and he continues to be brilliant. He was brilliant today. He made one bad decision, but that's what happens.
"He's authentic. He's not a manufactured player. He's grown up playing the game he loves, and he still plays the game he loves. You can see it written all over his face that he loves playing. He wants the ball in his hands, and he's an authentic rugby player. He's a purist. He's what rugby is all about. He's certainly enjoying himself. He's had a distinguished career, over at Hull mainly, and he's come back here like a vintage wine, I guess. He's been fantastic."
Wigan led 4-0 at half-time after Liam Marshall's try, and they extended their advantage in the second half through Abbas Miski. However, Salford fought back through Sam Stone and Tim Lafai tries, getting themselves into a winning position, one Rowley knows they should have held out with Harry Smith in the sin bin.
"We put ourselves in a position to win, and we should have really won the game with Wigan down to twelve," Rowley added. "We got derailed a little bit for the last ten minutes and lost a little bit of composure. But they're a good bunch, and we've had a lot of adversity this week with illness and injury.
"Look at our team this week compared to last week, but whoever comes in just steps up and does a shift. We should have won the game, and we're disappointed we didn't. It's as simple as that for us."