SALFORD RED DEVILS have been deducted two points from their Super League total as punishment for their team selection in the opening game of the season.
The club fielded a squad of mostly reserve and academy players for the 82-0 defeat at St Helens in February, shortly after a reduced salary cap was enforced by the RFL.
While their final league placing is unaffected, having finished bottom, Salford finish the season with only four points, down from six.
At the time, the Red Devils were limited to a salary cap of £1.2m after being placed in special measures by the governing body, a move which followed the club requesting an advance of their central funding in the off-season.
That was respected in coach Paul Rowley’s selection for their first competitive match of the season, a 46-10 Challenge Cup third-round victory at Midlands Hurricanes.
Although not their strongest possible side, all 17 players to feature against the League One outfit were first-team members and were included on the cap once they played.
However, the following week only four retained their places for the league opener at St Helens, in which only 16 players were named.
It proved a highly embarrassing affair for the sport, with the ensuing whitewash – the greatest margin of defeat in Super League history – broadcast live on the BBC.
The RFL’s statement pinned the blame on Salford, who have also been fined £5,000 with half suspended until 2029, for the delay in a decision on the compliance case, which was launched two days after the match.
It said: “An Operational Rules Tribunal was scheduled for April 22, on the basis that the club accepted breaches, but were challenging the recommended sanction (a two-point deduction). However, Salford pleaded not guilty at the Tribunal.
“A further hearing was scheduled for August 26. Salford requested a postponement because of the unavailability of their legal representative.
“Over the last month, the Salford management have accepted that the team chosen for the match was significantly weaker than it needed to be and several first-team players advertised as being unable to play in the aforementioned match were in fact available to be selected.
“The club accept that this offence merited a points deduction.”
Salford’s financial crisis has only got worse in the months since the selection affair, with the club said to be more than £5m in debt and a winding-up petition filed by HMRC to be heard on October 29.
On the field, the majority of senior players departed during a season which brought only three wins.
The club are unlikely to retain their Super League place by coming inside the top twelve in the grading table, and they have not applied for one of the additional places in an expanded 14-team division.