FORMER Hull KR head coach Tim Sheens has made a shock claim that the Super League club could have merged with the Salford Red Devils back in 2016.
With both clubs heading for the Million Pound Game at the end of the 2016 Super League season – which would see the winner stay on in the top flight and the loser condemned to the Championship – Sheens claims that talks had gone on between Salford and Hull KR about a potential merger.
Shockingly, Sheens also claims that former Red Devils owner Marwan Koukash would have allowed the club to go under had Salford been relegated instead.
“I didn’t coach at Salford but then went to Hull KR as a coach,” Sheens said on The Bye Round Podcast with James Graham. “I signed to coach them in Super League.
“I remember being in London and coming back listening to Salford, where I was (sic), play Hull KR, in the Million Pound Game.
“The reason I applied for the job with Jamie Peacock is (sic), who was the Rugby Director, we were working to put the two clubs together.
“The two owners had some discussions about Salford and Hull KR playing as one club. I think Marwan (Koukash) would have let Salford go under.
“Marwan said ‘look I’m leaving the club’ and that I need to find myself a club. Jamie Peacock said to me ‘We need a coach, would you be interested?’
“And Webbo (James Webster) was the assistant coach there, he was coaching first grade because they had let the coach go. I said I’d be interested as I was going to be out of work because Marwan was pulling the pin on Salford.
“Then Salford win it in the Million Pound Game, so Marwan runs around with the cheque in front of the fans and they stay in Super League and so he reinvests again and so we went to the Champ.
Sheens also reveals that his wage to coach Hull KR in the second tier was “massive”.
“I said to Neil Hudgell – the owner – that he was paying me a Super League wage to coach Champ, I’ll let you out if you want as Marwan wanted me to continue with Salford.
“Neil said ‘no, no we will continue’, so I was on a massive wage coaching Championship. We worked straight back up, one of the only sides that have and stayed up.
“Leigh go up and down, up and down but they look like they will stay up this time around.”