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Coach's joy

Dave Lawrenson
10/ 7/2008

SALFORD coach Shaun McRae thanked his players for giving him his first major trophy success for 11 years and said: "This means the world to me."

McRae is one of the most decorated coaches in the game having proved his ability to get the best out of players both in England and in his Aussie homeland.

But the Reds’ Northern Rail Cup final success in Blackpool on Sunday ended his barren spell in terms of trophy triumphs.

Salford thrashed lower league Doncaster 60-0 and McRae said: "It means a lot to me to win this trophy.

"I won successive Charity Shields for South Sydney, which are contested for in one-off pre-season games. But in terms of major trophies this is my first since I won the Challenge Cup with St Helens in 1997.

"It is great to have ended that long wait for a trophy but it is certainly not all about me. I have to thank the players, the backroom staff and the fans for the part that they have all played in winning the competition.

"This success is for all of us and we are all delighted. It was a great day for the club and a special moment in our careers."

McRae is now turning his attentions to completing a league and cup double.

And with Salford sitting pretty at the top of the National League One table he is confident of his side achieving that goal.

McRae said: "The aims for the team this season have always been to win both the Northern Rail Cup and the National League One title.

"We are now one down with one to go. It is not going to be easy as there are good teams like Celtic Crusaders and Halifax battling it out with us for the title.

"But, with the players that we have got, we are certainly capable of winning that battle and Sunday’s cup win will give us a real confidence boost for the rest of the league season.

"We’ve been the best side in the Northern Rail Cup campaign and it was a great performance in the final. We got away to a terrific start and were able to build on that.

"The class showed. We have got some terrific big-game players like Robbie Paul and they really came into their own.

"We excelled in all areas and, although we scored 60 points, I was particularly happy with our defence. To nil a team in such a big game was a great achievement."

The importance of on the field matters have been dwarfed this season by the impending Super League licensing verdicts.

Salford are one of 19 clubs to have bid for the 14 three-year licences up for grabs with D-Day set for Tuesday, July 22. And McRae is adamant that the Reds deserve to be back among the Super League elite.

He said: "Our bid couldn’t be any better. We have ticked every box. The club has done everything that it can off the field and the team has done everything that it can on the field.

"We now stand as the Northern Rail Cup winners and, while I’m not sure that winning that competition helps you to get a licence, it certainly can’t do any harm."