Salford fined £10,000 for fielding extra player in victory over Tigers

The City Reds were last night found guilty of breaching Rugby Football League rules when they appeared in front of an RFL operational rules tribunal in Leeds.

Salford were charged after Castleford pointed out that three plays took place while the Reds had an extra man on the pitch after making a substitution three minutes from the end of their home match against the Tigers.

Former Leeds prop Darrell Griffin, who was due to be substituted by the Reds, stayed on the field and made a tackle near his own line before going to the bench.

Salford held on for a 34-30 win in coach Brian Noble’s first match that temporarily lifted them off the foot of the table.

The Tigers lodged a formal complaint and, after a three-hour hearing and deliberation, Salford were deemed to be in breach of three operational rules.

Salford faced the risk of being docked competition points but a precedent was set in 2006, when St Helens were charged with misconduct after a similar incident against Hull and subsequently fined £100.

In Australia in 2009 Canterbury Bulldogs forfeited winning points against Penrith for fielding 14 players during their 28-26 victory.

Salford are currently bottom of Super League, although only on points difference, with three wins from their first 14 matches.

In a statement, Salford said: “The Reds have 14 days to pay the fine or launch an appeal.

“No further comment will be issued at this time.”

Meanwhile, Danny Orr is delighted to be handing over the Castleford reins to Daryl Powell, describing the newly-appointed head coach as “the right man for the job”.

Orr, who took temporary charge following the sacking of Ian Millward two months into the season, was asked for his views on the short-listed candidates and he was happy to endorse the choice of Castleford chief executive Steve Gill.

“I gave my opinion of what those coaches would bring,” Orr said.

“Obviously with Daryl, we’ve got a guy with a wealth of experience who knows the game inside out and has played at the highest level. For what the club require, Daryl is going to be a fantastic appointment. He’s the right man for the job - he knows the area and he knows the kind of club we are.”

Orr, the club’s former captain who only joined the coaching staff after hanging up his boots at the end of last season, guided the Tigers to consecutive home wins to ensure the new man would not inherit a team at the bottom of Super League.