Josh Griffin has admitted that it has been a “mentally draining” season at Salford, but the players are sticking together with livelihoods on the line.
With automatic safety out of the question following the Red Devils’ shock defeat to London, Salford must now defeat Batley at the weekend to secure their place in the Million Pound Game or risk automatic relegation if London beat Featherstone.
Ahead of their do-or-die clash at Mount Pleasant, Griffin revealed that the players are ready to get the club out of its current position.
“We were massively disappointed with the game that we just tossed up at the weekend,” he said.
“Everyone is hurting, we know the fans are hurting and we know the club is in a sticky situation now. We’ve ripped in at training this week, the lads have been really honest and that’s the main thing. We’ve held our hands and now we must get us out of this hole we’ve got ourselves in.
“It’s been a big, turbulent year anyway for the club, it hasn’t been easy and mentally it has been draining, but we’ve got a close-knit with the boys and we’re pulling each other through. We know what’s on the line – people’s careers and mortgages are on the line. We know what we’ve got to do to get over the line.”
The match will see Griffin return to one of his former clubs in Batley, and the Hull FC-bound centre has warned of the dangers the ground’s slope can provide.
“Batley know how to play the hill and they catch a few teams cold because people do turn up and are shocked by how big it is.
“From my time there, it’s one where you’ve just got to go with them when they’re going down the hill. The way Batley like to do it, they like to go up the hill first half and then down the hill in the second. We’ve just got to go with them on that, not get dragged into their fight and play our normal game.”
