Whitehaven coach Ged Stokes described Salford City Reds as "irresistible" following Thursday night's 62-18 defeat in the play-off semi-final.

Haven were crushed by a relentless Salford display but Stokes remained proud of his side for their efforts during a topsy-turvy campaign.

"I'm disappointed but I just can't help thinking what a fantastic season it has been," he told BBC Radio Cumbria.

"In terms of the way they played, Salford were irresistible."

Having bowed out just 80 minutes short of the Grand Final, Stokes is already bullish regarding next season and the chance to build on the success achieved so far.

"We are a very powerful team but there are some areas that we can really improve on," he said.

"We've also got quite a bit of pace in the team and if we can develop the areas I feel we need to in order to make a Grand Final next year, we're going to be difficult to beat.

"We've made some good signings, we've retained players that we need to so things are looking in good stock."