“It will drive him on” Paul Rowley on star’s omission from England squad

The omission of Ollie Partington from the recent England squad will fuel his ambition make the cut next time, according to his Salford coach Paul Rowley.

Partington has enjoyed an impressive start to his time with Salford after making the move from his hometown club Wigan in the off-season.

The 24-year-old has flourished in the role of a ball playing loose forward with the Red Devils, but unfortunately picked up a knee injury which saw him miss five games of the season.

But Partington returned from the sidelines earlier than expected to help Salford pick up a 14-6 win over Castleford last Thursday.

And last week, England coach Shaun Wane named his 40-man squad ahead of next weekend’s test against France, with Partington not making the squad.

“I thought his form before he got injured was outstanding,” Rowley said.

“Did he have his best game Thursday? Not by any standards. That was about ticking a box.

“We’ve said this all along, we bring players back in and they get back match fit through playing because of our squad challenges.

“I think Ollie P is a wonderful footballer, but more importantly he’s a wonderful professional. He’s every bit the international footballer. 

“However, knowing Ollie, it’ll just drive him on. He’ll keep his head down and as a group we’ll all work really hard to make sure that he kicks the doors down when it matters.”

‘Ultra competitor’ Ollie Partington fitted in well at Salford

Salford assistant coach Kurt Haggerty addressed the media ahead of Sunday’s match against Catalans, where he praised Partington’s professionalism and attitude.

“Ollie is really important for the group,” Haggerty said. “He has fitted in really well.

“He brings some value with his defence so it is really rubbing off on the group and he is ultra competitive.

“You’re seeing a side to Ollie that you’ve probably never seen before in regards to his rugby side and actually playing a little bit more and his ability that he’s got with the ball.

“For the group he is really important and he has brought some really high standards in and around the place.”

Next up for Partington and the Red Devils is a home game against Catalans Dragons on Sunday afternoon, 2:15pm kick-off.

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