MATCH REPORT – SALFORD RED DEVILS 26-16 HULL KR (MAGIC WEEKEND)

Salford Red Devils produced a stunning second-half performance to beat Hull KR on Magic Weekend.

Marc Sneyd – so often the difference for the Red Devils this season – surpassed 1000 goals on his 300th career appearance, with Adam Sidlow also reaching the significant career landmark of 350.

It was a lightening-quick start by Salford. Chris Atkin tried to scurry over from dummy-half early on, but amongst a host of KR bodies, our number 14 lost the ball.

We were almost on the board again minutes later when Deon Cross slipped through Ken Sio, but a scramble on the Robins right edge stopped the flying winger from handing us the lead.

After being completely on the front foot, KR gained valuable metres and took the lead – perhaps against the run of play.

Parcell found the gap down the Salford centre and offloaded to Coote, who found Minchella with an flick pass to slide under the sticks.

That led to period of play where Salford were under some real pressure, but a magical break from Brodie Croft soon got us back on level terms.

Out of nothing, the Aussie darted past a puzzled KR line to create a golden opportunity. Joe Burgess was racing in support and turned on the afterburners to bring us level.

That field position proved vital and a nice chase by Ben Hellewell and Burgess on the last had the Robins pinned inside their own 20.

Rushing to get out of trouble, a conceded penalty allowed Sneyd to add two more.

Some more quick, incisive play almost had Ken Sio in on the right, but Kallum Watkins’ flick pass was just too hard for the winger to gather.

Going straight down the other end, George King dummied his man to break through the gap and hand KR the lead.

That lead was cut in half on the hooter, however. Mikey Lewis caught Croft with a high shot and Sneyd sent over the penalty-goal.

HALF-TIME: Salford Red Devils 10-12 Hull KR

After trading sets in the opening exchanges of the second forty, Croft made sure he was first to a bobbling ball and sent Hellewell away with a neat pass.

His ball to Burgess was just behind the winger and multiple KR defenders made the scramble to nudge him out of play.

It was a cagey next twenty minutes and perhaps needed a penalty to spark the game into life.

Tyler Dupree was hit high and Sneyd took the opportunity to sink the penalty-goal – bringing up 1000 career goals in the process.

His kicking got Salford back into the game and even nudged us two points ahead when he, himself was hit late by Dean Hadley, who was sent to the sin-bin.

Cross was also shown yellow minutes later and back to 12v12, KR struck.

Kane Linnett found half a yard and flicked an offload to Ryan Hall, who acrobatically dived over in the left corner.

Losing the lead never dampened the players’ spirits and the next 25 minutes was a sublime attacking performance by the Red Devils.

Croft dug into the line, played in Brierley and his mazy run causes chaos. Sio – as always – was in support to take the pass and slide over.

After Sneyd added the extras, Brierley broke again on the last tackle of the next set.

He found Croft and despite KR knocking him to the ground, they failed to complete the tackle and the half-back flicked the ball up for Chris Atkin to crash over in front of the jubilant, travelling faithful.

FULL-TIME: Salford Red Devils 26-16 Hull KR

Photo by Matthew Merrick

MATCH PREVIEW – SALFORD RED DEVILS VS HULL KR (MAGIC WEEKEND)

Magic Weekend is here!

The annual festival of rugby league is a fantastic occasion for everyone, but only one thing will be on Paul Rowley’s mind – two Betfred Super League points.

We face an in-form Hull KR side at St James’ Park; who are wounded from a golden point defeat against Wigan Warriors, but still present a tricky contest for the Red Devils.

The two sides last met in Round 2, where Sam Wood’s double helped the Robins to a 10-24 victory at the Salford Stadium.

Last Sunday, Salford recorded an 8th Super League win of the season against Hull FC, so we will be looking to carry that momentum into this contest and maintain our spot in the top six.

Here’s everything you need to know:


SQUAD NEWS

The return of Ken Sio, Tim Lafai and Adam Sidlow was a huge boost for Paul Rowley last week.

Alex Gerrard is still struggling with a knee problem, so he is still missing for this one. As is Andy Ackers, who failed another HIA in last Sunday’s game against Hull FC.

After a short loan spell at Swinton Lions, Amir Bourouh is back in the fold.


ROWLEY’S PREVIEW

The return of Sio and Lafai, in particular, was highlighted in Paul Rowley’s pre-match press conference this week.

When asked how he rated their return to action, the Head Coach said: “Really solid.

“They did what they always do; Kenny finishes tries, Timmy is solid on the edge – causes problems.

“You have to be strong defensively against him, he’s got a strong body, but didn’t try to overplay which can be a temptation when you’re sat on the sidelines for a long while.

“I was really please for them both and I trust them both – and I thought they were both great!”

To watch the pre-match press conference in full, please click HERE!


HOW TO BUY TICKETS

There is still time to join us at St James’ Park today; however, pay on the day is the only option for travelling supporters at the Newcastle United ticket office.

TRAINING GALLERY – I’VE GOT THE MAGIC IN ME!

It’s a date in the calendar everyone looks for.

Magic Weekend is upon us and Paul Rowley’s side will be making the trip to St James’ Park on Saturday to face an in-form Hull KR.

Fresh from cup progression and a crucial Betfred Super League victory against Hull FC, the Red Devils will be looking to maintain their spot in the top six with a victory.

Here’s some of our favourite snaps from training this week:

Photos by Steve McCormick

HULL KR VS SALFORD RED DEVILS – TICKET INFORMATION

A quarter-final trip to Humberside awaits Paul Rowley’s men on Saturday 17th June.

After progressing past Huddersfield Giants in Round 6, the Red Devils face the Robins at Craven Park, with a spot in the Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final up for grabs.

Kick-off is now confirmed at 12pm and tickets are on sale NOWclick here to secure your place!

A reminder of our ticket office opening hours can be found below:

VariantPrice
Adultยฃ15
Concession (19-21 & 65+)ยฃ10
Under 18sยฃ5
Under 16s season ticket holders (AVAILABLE AT CRAVEN PARK ONLY)FOC

Please note ticket prices in ALL ticket bands will raise by ยฃ5 on the day.

For disabled supporters, please contact the Salford Stadium on 01617861570.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that Salford Red Devils receive commission on all tickets pre-purchased from Salford Stadium and nothing from on the day sales, so we urge you to buy your tickets from us directly.

RED DEVILS IN DEPTH: WARRINGTON V SALFORD

For the second week in succession, Salford Red Devils had a half time lead expunged during the second period, to end up with a loss that had appeared most unlikely, as the teams trooped off for the half-time interval, in this Round 3 fixture at the home of the Warrington Wolves.

That the home side had opened 2023 with two most impressive victories, at home to Leeds and away at Huddersfield, must have hung over the visiting Salford fans, prior to kick-off, but such anxieties were quickly dissipated despite a Warrington try in the eighth minute, for there was a definite step up by the Reds, from the previous weekโ€™s performance against Hull KR.

The tactics based around their slick, wonderfully entertaining qualities might well have not changed but the execution of them was markedly better than the previous week, with every pass being so much more telling, and the gaps opening up more easily and effectively, as a result.

Their first, and equalising try, on eleven minutes, was a consequence of some precisionally timed, and accurately executed, passes, as the ball was moved along the line to Joe Burgess who unsurprisingly had had his opposite number sucked in-field, and so was completely in the clear to race down the wing before sending an equally effective and accurate pass inside to the supporting Ellis Longstaff, who must have revelled in crossing the line against his parent club, on their own pitch.

In addition, the Red Devils had learned from their previous experience the importance of muscling up in the physical aspects of the game.ย  Twice, in the opening twenty-five minutes, Tyler Dupree made clean breaks through the Wolvesโ€™ defence, brushing off attempted tackles and making great yardage up the field to build up good field position.ย  Not only he, but the remaining members of the pack were eager to make their presence felt, with Ollie Partington at the centre of so much of both attacking play and defensive efforts.

Last week, the problem was that they had failed to build a sufficiently comfortable lead, after their opening four pointer.  Not so, this time out, with first yet another interception by Ken Sio which saw him make progress before setting up Ryan Brierley, who showed terrific speed to get over for another. 

With Marc Sneydโ€™s being on target with both conversion attempts, his third effort was to tack on the extras to his own try, when he hoodwinked the Wiresโ€™ defence and coasted through.ย  He rounded off the first stanza with an additional two points from a penalty goal, which meant that by half time, there was a clear fourteen points difference between the sides, as opposed to the four, against Hull KR.

It is extremely doubtful that there was anyone who did not expect a response in some form or other from this Warrington side, so impressive in previous weeks, and our players will have certainly prepared themselves for such, but, when it came, it was in a form that was extremely difficult to do anything about, for quite simply they were most cleverly deprived of the ball, being in possession for less than ten minutes of the forty.ย  Without it, all anyone can do is tackle, tackle, and keep on tackling in the hope that it will come around to them, eventually.

All that tackling takes it toll, however, on energy levels, knocks and the like sustained in the collisions, and with a sense of frustration building up, which can then affect effectiveness on the few occasions possession does come their way.  One wayward pass to Joe Burgess, on the first tackle of a set, which went behind him and straight into touch, was merely symptomatic of this.

The Wolves took possession straight from Salfordโ€™s half-time kick-off, and proceeded to start as many as seven sets and retain possession for almost nine minutes.  The Redsโ€™ one chance of stemming this tide came at the end of the first set, the high kick from which was left completely unclaimed by anyone on the field, and the ball, having been allowed to bounce, ricocheted up and backwards into the arms of Warrington, who were quickly afterwards awarded a penalty, which triggered a set restart.

From that point on, they found ploy after ploy to reclaim the ball for yet another set. The problem then became compounded by defenders conceding penalties, set restarts, and even a sin-binning, which on this occasion proved to be so crucial, in their increasingly tiring endeavours to styme the waves of attack thrown at them.ย  So good, though, was the Salford defence in the early stages of the half that there were times when the Wolves actually ended up further back than they had started the set.

Significant, however, was the Reds’ seeming difficulty to deal with the high, short-distance, hanging kicks, which their hosts seemed to be able to reclaim, with some regularity.  Williamsโ€™s kick into the corner for Thewlisโ€™s try was probably their highlight of these, and if the final score-line seems a little unfair to the luckless Red Devils, it was, in part, because it was adversely affected by two, eight-point tries, the first of these being this one, with Dupree being adjudged to have fouled the scorer after the grounding.

So, after four months of the close season, during which coaches of other sides have had chance to weigh up how to deal with the flamboyant attacking style of the Salford Red Devils, we have twice now seen the use of tactical kicking as a partial means of starving them of sufficient possession to be the threat they can be.  It is now up to Salford to work on dealing with this in readiness for next week’s trip to Hull. FC

RED DEVILS IN DEPTH: SALFORD V HULL KR

It was such a promising opening, with the Red Devils starting with a splendid display of wide, expansive, attacking rugby, which had become so familiar to the Salford fans in the later stages of last season, but which had been absent in the previous weekโ€™s visit to the Leigh Sports Village.

Yet here it was again in what was only Round 2 of the new season, in all its exciting, entertaining spectacle, from the very first set when swift hands put right winger, Ken Sio, in space, and the visiting Hull KR players were desperately having to scramble back to prevent an early setback.

When, at the end of their back-to-back sets, they forced the first of two goal-line drop-outs, it seemed only a matter of time before they went in front.  It turned out to be just ten minutes, with their attack being restarted by the second of the drop-outs, and ended with a wide pass to Sio, who scored in the corner.

Although Marc Sneydโ€™s conversion attempt failed to find the mark, there was little doubt in anyoneโ€™s mind that there would be more on the way, and indeed for the next ten minutes the Red Devils continued to dominate possession and field position, though with no further points to add to the scoreboard.

The game started to change a little around the twentieth minute, with back-to-back penalties gaining good field position to enable the visitors to test the Salford defence, and although they did not get anything to show for it immediately, they seemed to grow in stature and confidence, as a result.

In truth, four points after such a protracted period of Salford dominance seemed scant reward for their efforts, as they had had sufficient possession and position to have added at least one, if not more, scores, which would probably have dispirited the visitors somewhat had they been able to do so.  As it was. their self-belief that they could contain the threat their hosts posed grew, and inspired them to further effort.

Consequently, when Sio, as he is wont to do, intercepted a Hull pass to his wing, his progress was arrested before he could even get into his stride and the team then had the task of taking the ball up the field, tackle by tackle.  They also seemed to make heavy weather of the increasing amount of defending they were required to do.

The Robins’ pack is quite an imposing group, all of whom are capable of making their mark on any game โ€“ a victory over the Wigan Warriors, as they had achieved in round 1, is no mean fete โ€“ and they started to gain the ascendency, not just on the attack where they drove forward relentlessly, but also on defence, where they harried and hassled the normally rampant Reds into an increasing number of hurried and wayward passes.

The writing was clearly on the wall, when, on 32 mins, the referee was forced to refer a Robins’ grounding to  the video referee, and, although this was ruled out, it merely portended what was to come after the interval.  It will surely have been the away dressing-room, which will have been the more satisfied, over the recess, and they continued where they left off, after the resumption.

Salfordโ€™s best moment of the second half came on 54 minutes, when they were stung into a response to Hullโ€™s two-try opening to the half, by overcoming the less productive of some of their more recent attacking forays, with slick hands putting Deon Cross over for their second try, to put themselves to within two points of the visitors.

Twice within five minutes, Salford were denied possible further tries.  A referral to the video referee ruled out Sioโ€™s grounding in the corner, on 56 mins, with Brodie Croft being ruled offside prior to his involvement, and then on 70 mins. A ball steal by Tim Lafai led to another attack along the line to the right wing, where Cross, this time, just had a bit too much to do to get over the line for what would have been his own second score.

Hull, however, had no such problems in adding to their score with further tries on 57 and 72 mins, as Salford continued to fail to muscle up to the continued pressure on their defence.  Deserved, Man of the Match, Ollie Partington had led the way in how to deal with this, and it is likely there will be work done upon this element for others, in the coming days.

MATCH REPORT – SALFORD RED DEVILS 10-24 HULL KR (BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE ROUND 2)

Salford Red Devils were beaten 10-24 by Hull KR in Round 2 of the Betfred Super League.

It was a disappointing night for Paul Rowley’s men, with a string of errors ultimately costing his side after a positive start to the game.

The Red Devils were trying to create opportunities from the start and Marc Sneyd forced an early goal-line drop-out with a clever kick into the left corner.

Tyler Dupree and Tim Lafai threatened to break the defensive line early on, but both efforts were thwarted before they could cause KR problems

Salford’s pressure eventually told when Ryan Brierley’s carry right to the line allowed Kallum Watkins to receive the ball and spot Ken Sio in space to slide over in the right corner.

It was the perfect start for the hosts, but KR – who beat Challenge Cup holders, Wigan Warriors in Round 1 – grew into the contest and gained territory as the half went on.

Hull thought they’d pulled themselves level on 33 minutes, but Shaun Kenny-Dowall was adjudged to pull Sio back in the build-up.

HALF-TIME: Salford Red Devils 4-0 Hull KR

KR started the second-half on the front foot and Ethan Ryan was the first to go over for the visitors. Jordan Abdull sent a tricky grubber kick into the right corner and the bobble fell kindly for the winger to ground, with Will Dagger converting for the first of four occasions.

It was the same source with another grubber kick moments later; this time it was Frankie Halton who made the dart to gather the ball and slide over.

Salford were back on the board soon after, as they tried to wrestle back the momentum. Quick hands had Sio as the spare man, but Deon Cross jinked inside beautifully to sell his man and stretch over the try line – Marc Sneyd adding two.

The visitors hit straight back, however. Kenny-Dowall sprung into life on the left-edge and teed up Sam Wood to stretch over and extend KR’s lead.

Rowley’s men tried to fight back and some lovely work from Brodie Croft allowed Sio to collect the ball with open field ahead of him, but our number six was adjudged to be offside and Hull were awarded a penalty.

From that move, Willie Peters’ side made sure of the two points. Abdull’s swerving high kick was spilled by Brierley and Wood picked up the loose ball to stroll over for his second of the game.

FULLL-TIME: Salford Red Devils 10-24 Hull KR

MATCH PREVIEW – SALFORD RED DEVILS VS HULL KR (BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE ROUND 2)

Salford Red Devils are looking for back-to-back Betfred Super League wins when they take on Hull KR at the Salford Stadium this evening.

Live on Sky Sports, it is set to be an enthralling encounter, with both sides already enjoying opening day victories.

The Robins were extremely impressive against Challenge Cup holders, Wigan Warriors, beating them 27-18 at Craven Park, while the Red Devils spoiled Leigh Leopards’ party with a 10-20 victory at Leigh Sports Village.

Salford fell behind on the half-hour mark, but two quick-fire tries from Kallum Watkins and Andy Ackers flipped the game on its head before the break.

Ryan Brierley – with a Man of the Match performance – added to our lead early in the second-half and some resolute defending secured both points.

KR present Paul Rowley’s side with a whole new task, but the Head Coach will be confident his team can produce a positive performance in front of the roaring Salford faithful.

Here’s everything you need to know surrounding our Round 2 clash:


Squad News

The big piece of squad news is the return of our flying winger, Joe Burgess.

After notching 16 Super League tries across 2022, the 28-year-old will be raring to go after spending the majority of pre-season on the sidelines through injury.

Burgess is the only addition to the squad from last week’s victory, with Adam Sidlow missing out on this occasion. Oliver Partington and Sam Stone – after impressing on debut – will be wanting to make their home debuts tonight.

Burgess’ Preview

Speaking of Burgess, we caught up with our number five after Captain’s run on Wednesday to talk his return to fitness, our winning start against Leigh Leopards and maintaining momentum against Hull KR.

“Yeah, it’s good to get back into the squad and it just feels like normal life is back!” Burgess told us.

“Pre-season is gone and I’m just ready to crack on with the season now.”

He continued: “It was frustrating that I couldn’t play in the pre-season friendlies and then missed out last week, which was a big opener.

“So I’m just really keen to get back in and do a job for the boys.”

Watch our full chat with Joe below!

How to buy tickets

Tickets for this game remain available and can be secured in two ways:

  • Onlineย โ€“ย CLICK HERE
  • On the day โ€“ย Tickets can be purchased on the day from the ticket office, located on the West Stand.

SALFORD RED DEVILS LAUNCH ‘BE A RED’ SCHOOL REWARD PROGRAMME

At Salford Red Devils – through our Building the Future strategy – we are keen to work with schools across the Greater Manchester region to inspire young people to achieve their potential, both on and off the rugby pitch.

We are delighted to launch our Salford Red Devils ‘Be a Red’ school reward programme for the 2023 Betfred Super League season.

The concept of โ€˜Be a Redโ€™ is to reward students who consistently demonstrates the same qualities as our players do in training and games – positive attitude, hard work, resilience, responding positively to feedback and a desire to improve.

Each school will select their ‘Be a Red’ award winner in advance of every one of our Super League home games during 2023, with the selected student receiving a Family Ticket from the club as our way of saying โ€˜Well Done!โ€™

Salford Red Devils Director, Paul Trainor said: โ€œWe are delighted to launch the โ€˜Be a Redโ€™ programme with our many partner schools across Greater Manchester.

“This programme will give schools the opportunity to celebrate and reward students who consistently show the same key character traits and behaviours as our Salford Red Devils players show throughout the season.

“Having a good work ethic, showing a positive attitude, being coachable, showing resilience, working towards goals and being keen to improve are so important to being the best you can be, whether you are a Salford Red Devils player or a student in a school.

“It is a pleasure to work with our School Partners to reward those students throughout the 2023 Super League season. We look forward to welcoming our first โ€˜Be a Redโ€™ award winners to our first home game of the season against Hull KR.โ€

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