Ahead of tomorrow’s final game of the regular Betfred Super League season for 2018, we take a look at all the facts and figures behind our clash with Leeds Rhinos.
Head-to-Head
Salford Red Devils havenโt had much luck against Leeds since the inception of the Betfred Super League beating the Rhinos on two occasions.
The Red Devils most recent victory against Leeds came in 2016 with Salford earning a narrow 14-10 victory at the The Salford Stadium. Salfordโs other Betfred Super League triumph over the Rhinos came in 2009 in the form of a 30-20 Easter period win at the Emerald Headingley Stadium.
However, since Ian Watsonโs sides last win over Leeds, the Rhinos have won six consecutive meetings with the most recent being a 0-20 win at the Emerald Headingley Stadium in the second game of the 2018 Easter period. Five of these six victories have come at the Emerald Headingley Stadium however with the sides meeting just once at the The Salford Stadium over the past two years.
Milestones
Salford Red Devils back-rower Tyrone McCarthy is in line to make his 150th career appearance this weekend against Leeds.
McCarthy has made 24 appearances for the Red Devils since arriving at the The Salford Stadium this time last season ahead of the Clubโs Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final. Tyrone has also made 31 appearances for Hull Kingston Rovers, 43 appearances for Warrington Wolves and played twice for NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons.
In addition, whilst at Warrington, McCarthy spent time on loan and dual-registration with Swinton Lions (11 games), Leigh Centurions (18 games) and Wakefield Trinity (7 games). The second-rower has also represented Ireland on 13 occasions.
2018 Stats
Jake Bibbyโs try-scoring run came to an end last week against Catalans Dragons, but the flying winger remains the Red Devils top try-scorer with 11 tries this season. Bibby is one ahead of the Rhinos top try-scorer in the 2018 Betfred Super League which is Ash Handley. Wingers Ryan Hall and Tom Briscoe are close behind on nine tries apiece.
Richie Myler has proven a brilliant signing for Leeds and currently tops their try-assist tally with 23 in the Betfred Super League; the most of any player in this yearโs competition.
Red Devils acting halfback Logan Tomkins is Salfordโs top tackler with 630 however he is still sidelines for this weekendโs fixture. Tyrone McCarthy, Lama Tasi and Lee Mossop could all go over the 500 tackles mark for the 2018 Berfred Super League this season.
Leeds hooker Matt Parcell currently tops the Rhinos ranks in terms of tackles with 622 so far this season. Brad Singleton, Adam Cuthbertson and Jamie Jones-Buchanan have all racked up 500+ defensive efforts.
Tag: Jake Bibby
Factfile | Catalans Dragons vs Salford Red Devils | Saturday 21st July
Ahead of tomorrowโs Betfred Super League clash with Catalans Dragons in Perpignan we take a look at some facts and stats behind the fixture.
Head-to-Head
Itโs been a mixed bag of results for the Red Devils against Catalans Dragons in recent seasons. Salford have won two of the last three meetings with the sides but did come out on the losing side in the most recent fixture as part of this yearโs Dacia Magic Weekend at St Jamesโ Park, Newcastle.
However, Salford had earned back-to-back home victories over the Dragons before this with a 32-16 win over the Easter period following a massive 50-12 hammering of the French side in last yearโs clash at the The Salford Stadium.
But, the Red Devils havenโt had much luck in Perpignan in recent seasons. Salfordโs last win in France came in the form of a 22-10 victory in 2011 with the Red Devils losing in five of their last six trips to Catalans.
Overall in the Betfred Super League, Catalans have won 13 meetings, Salford have come out on top on 11 occasions and there has been one draw between the sides which was a memorable 40-40 affair back in 2015. You can read more about that game here.
Try-scoring
Junior Saโu has scored in two of his last three visits to Perpignan. In fact, the Red Devils centre has crossed four times in his last three appearances in France crossing for a hat-trick at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in 2016.
Saโu has scored seven tries this season for the Red Devils with the most recent coming in form of a double in Salfordโs trip to Hull Kingston Rovers a fortnight ago.
Evalds โ who returns to the 19-man squad this weekend โ also has a terrific try-scoring record against the Dragons going over for four tries in last four games against Catalans. The fullback scored twice in Perpignan back in 2016 before crossing in each of the last two meetings at the The Salford Stadium. He missed the most recent game at the Dacia Magic Weekend through injury.
๐๏ธ Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad who will travel to France to take on Catalans Dragons on Saturday afternoon.
๐ @NEvalds1993 returns to the squad after nine weeks on the sideline.
Read โก๏ธ https://t.co/E5HkseT5vI pic.twitter.com/kBW7mhvt1F
— Salford Red Devils ๐น (@SalfordDevils) July 19, 2018
Former Red Devil Jodie Broughton scored a hat-trick at this yearโs Dacia Magic Weekend meeting between the teams and also crossed for a brace in a 32-42 Dragons win in 2016. The winger has scored five tries in the last four games between the two clubs.
Fellow winger Fouad Yaha has scored three tries in his last three games against Salford however all three came at the The Salford Stadium. Vincent Duport โ who is two scores from 100 career tries โ has enjoyed playing against Salford with six tries against the Red Devils since 2015.
Jake Bibby extended his try-scoring run to four consecutive games last weekend with his try against Castleford Tigers. Bibby is now level in terms of current try-scoring sequences with Huddersfieldโs Darnell McIntosh, Hull KRโs Adam Quinlan and Wiganโs Tom Davies.
Ready for the Rhinos!
Purchase your tickets for our game with Leeds on Friday 27th July from the Club Ticket Office, on 0161 786 1570 or by simply clicking HERE.
Community | Master Class Rugby Camp in August
The Salford Red Devils Foundation are offering Master Class Rugby Camps this August for Years 5 through to 10 with a host of Red Devils first teamers in attendance.
Junior Saโu, Mark Flanagan, Jack Littlejohn, Luke Burgess, Rob Lui, Lee Mossop, Josh Wood, Craig Kopczak, Niall Evalds, Logan Tomkins, Jake Bibby and Gavin Bennion will all be taking the session allowing you to learn from the best!
The sessions include position specific mater classes delivered by the Salford Red Devils first team as well as fitness training in the first team gym, skills technique, wrestling and games.
The first sessions will take place for Year 9 and 10โs on Tuesday 7th and 8th August. The Year 7 and 8 sessions are on Tuesday 14th August and Wednesday 15th August while the final sessions for Year 5 and 6 will take place on Tuesday 21st August and Wednesday 22nd August.
All sessions will take place at the The Salford Stadium between 10am and 3pm and cost ยฃ60 per person.
If youโd like to book a place on the Master Class Rugby Camp contact Joanne.Shepherd@salfordreddevils.net or call 0161 786 1591.
Ready for the Rhinos!
Purchase your tickets for our game with Leeds on Friday 27th July from the Club Ticket Office, on 0161 786 1570 or by simply clicking HERE.
Stat Pack | Salford Red Devils 6-24 Castleford Tigers
Here are all the key stats, facts and figures from the Red Devils clash with Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League.
Player in Focus
Ed Chamberlain โ who impressed last weekend against Hull Kingston Rovers โ made his home debut for the Red Devils and was a standout performer at the The Salford Stadium.
Chamberlainโs running game was solid making a total of 99 metres with 51 of these coming from kick returns. The fullback made ten completed passes whilst also putting in two kicks, one of which gave him a try-assist as Jake Bibby latched onto the end of it late in the first half.
The fullback didnโt have much to do defensively making seven tackles and he successfully converted Bibbyโs try from the touchline.
Defensive Efforts
Daniel Murray continues to impress for the Salford Red Devils and in last nightโs game he racked up an immense 50 tackles. Murray made seven more than any other Red Devil on the field and missing just one in the process.
He was closely followed by fellow youngsters Ryan Lannon and Josh Wood with the back-rower completing 43 defensive efforts while Wood successfully made 42 tackles in the game.
Lee Mossop was also putting in the work in defence making an impressive 13 marker tackles which was only equalled by Murray. Junior Saโu was the top-tackler in the backs with 22 efforts.
Bringing the ball forward
This season Derrell Olpherts has familiarised himself with the Betfred Super League and one strength has been his yardage from his own half which was on display again against Castleford with the winger making more metres than any other Red Devil.
Olpherts racked up 131 metres and often got the Red Devils on the front foot early. It was a real tough battle down the middle with both sets of forwards competing well and Mossop was the biggest metre-eater down the centre for Salford with 94.
Josh Jones averaged the biggest gain throughout the game making around 7.9 metres per carry. He was closely followed by Wood and Olpherts.
Overall Stats
Itโs never a stat you like to point out but unfortunately the game was awash with errors with both sides making 16 apiece. Castleford conceded six penalties to Salfordโs three.
The Tigers narrowly edged it on set completion with 70% to Salfordโs 67% with both teams having 13 incomplete sets however Castleford did have four more sets overall. There was just one offload between the sides while Salford had five more quick play-the-balls than their opponents.
Match Report | Salford Red Devils 6-24 Castleford Tigers
Salford Red Devils fell to a 6-24 defeat against Castleford Tigers in an error-ridden affair at the The Salford Stadium.
Ian Watsonโs men did go into the break level after Jake Bibbyโs try in the corner had cancelled out Jake Websterโs opening score. However, a second from Webster alongside tries from Michael Shenton and Kieran Gill saw the Tigers control the second forty and go on to win.
Salford were down to just 17 fit men in the lead-up to the game with Levy Nzoungou and Ed Chamberlain both making their home debuts while Castleford also had a handful of first team players sidelined.
After a rather uninspiring first fifteen minutes, Castleford broke the deadlock through Webster in rather bizarre circumstances. The Tigers managed to keep the ball alive with four or five fortunate offloads before a kick ricocheted off Junior Saโu and eventually found Webster who crossed the line unchallenged. Paul McShane converted.
But, with five minutes of the first half remaining the Red Devils pulled themselves level as Bibby โ who has now crossed in each of his last four games – latched onto a low kick from Chamberlain to score. Chamberlain followed up with the conversion from the touchline and the sides went into the interval level.
Unfortunately, the standard of rugby didnโt pick up in the second half with both sides struggling to cause any serious problems, but it was Castleford who went over. The Tigers came down the left-hand channel and Shenton managed to jink his way inside to regain the lead for the visitors. McShane converted.
Castleford followed this up with another try just four minutes later and this time it was their other centre Webster who powered over from close-range for his second of the afternoon. McShane again converted to extend the visitors lead to twelve points.
The Red Devils didnโt give up however and came close on a number of occasions through Rob Lui while Ryan Lannon was also held-up over the line. But, with ten minutes left on the clock Gill finished off a flowing Castleford move in the corner to put the game beyond reach of Salford. McShane converted.
Salford remain in 11th in the Betfred Super League following the loss while Castleford confirmed their top four spot heading into the Super 8s.
Salford Lineup:ย Chamberlain, Bibby, Jones, Saโu, Olpherts; Lui, Shorrocks, Tasi, Wood, Nakubuwai, Lannon, McCarthy, Murray.
Interchanges:ย Flanagan, Burke, Mossop, Nzoungou.
Castleford Lineup:ย Eden, Gill, Webster, Shenton, Clare; QLT, Trueman; Watts, McShane, Sene-Lefao, Moors, Millington, Milner.
Interchanges:ย Holmes, Wardle, Cook, Clark.
Salford Scorers:ย Tries-ย Bibby (31โ) | Goals– Chamberlain (32โ)
Castleford Scorers:ย Tries-ย Webster (18โ, 52โ), Shenton (48โ), Gill (71โ)| Goals– McShane (19โ, 49โ, 53โ, 72โ)
Referee:ย Chris Kendall.
Man of the Match:ย Josh Wood.
Factfile | Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers | Friday 13th July
Salford Red Devils host Castleford Tigers this evening and we take a look at the stats, facts and figures behind tonight’s encounter at the The Salford Stadium, 8pm kick-off.
Head-to-head
Salford managed to overcome Castleford in this fixture last season narrowly edging out the Tigers 13-12 thanks to a late drop-goal. However, Castleford have been on top in recent meetings winning three consecutive games against the Red Devils with the most recent finishing 22-8 at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle back in March.
Ian Watsonโs men have won two of their last three home meetings with Castleford. In addition to last yearโs terrific one-point victory, the Red Devils won 22-18 in July 2016 at the The Salford Stadium. But, it was the West Yorkshire side who won the most recent meeting at Salford in last yearโs Betfred Super League Super 8s.
Overall, in the Betfred Super League, Salford Red Devils have won 11 meetings while Castleford have 27 victories. There is yet to be a draw between the two sides in the Betfred Super League.ย
Try-scorers
Jake Bibby has scored in two of his last three appearances against Castleford however both have come in fixtures at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle. Bibby crossed for a late try in this yearโs meeting between the sides as well as in a 14-38 defeat in July 2017.
The 22-year-old has hit some try-scoring form in recent weeks for the Red Devils crossing in each of his last three appearances. Bibbyโs current run began just after half-time in a 26-12 win over Widnes before he also went over in recent defeats against both Warrington and Hull Kingston Rovers.
As for Castleford, fullback Quentin Laulu-Togagae is their man in try-scoring form having also scored in his last three outings. โQLTโ scored in crucial victories over Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle while also crossing in France versus Catalans Dragons.
2018 Stats
Jake Bibby is also Salford Red Devilsโ top try-scorer this season with ten. He is currently three in front of centre Junior Saโu.ย Castlefordโs Jy Hitchcox currently sits atop the Tigers try-scoring ranks with ten. He is closely followed by Michael Shenton on eight while Oliver Holmes and Paul McShane have both scored seven tries.
Logan Tomkins is comfortably leading the way in terms of tackles for the Red Devils with 630 however with the hooker absent Lama Tasi is the top tackler of the 19-man squad named with 442. Similarly, itโs Castlefordโs hooker Paul McShane who tops the Tigers tackle chart by over 200 tackles.
Ed Chamberlain made his first start for the Red Devils last weekend against Hull Kingston Rovers and averaged a massive 11.21 metres per carry. Castleford also have a player who averages above ten metres per carry in Greg Eden with 10.47 metres.
Grant Millington is Castlefordโs top metre-maker with 1679 while Junior Saโu leads the way for Salford with 1741.
The Tigers are in Town, but weโll roar louder!
Tickets are still available from the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570 for this eveningโs game.
Preview | Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers | Friday 13th July
The Red Devils host Castleford Tigers at the The Salford Stadium this coming Friday as Ian Watson’s men look to return to winning ways following last week’s disappointing defeat at Hull Kingston Rovers.
Last time out
Salford dominated the early stages at KCOM Craven Park and raced into a 6-0 lead as Greg Johnson bulldozed his way over the whitewash. Ed Chamberlain marked his first start for the club with three goals, but Johnson’s effort proved to be the visitors’ sole score in the first period.
After the break, Junior Sa’u managed to claim two well worked tries before Jake Bibby crossed in the dying minutes of the contest.
60' – Try Salford! Junior Sa'u slices through a gap in the Hull KR defence to cross for his second of the afternoon.
(52-14)#SLHKRSal pic.twitter.com/Ml3CX5DgEk
— Salford Red Devils ๐น (@SalfordDevils) July 8, 2018
Unfortunately for Salford though, the hosts proved too hot to handle. Danny McGuire claimed a sublime hat-trick, Will Oakes crossed for a double, whilst Ryan Shaw, Adam Quinlan, James Greenwood and Joel Tomkins also touched down to condemn the Devils to defeat.
Castleford meanwhile, head into the showdown in fine form after pummelling Leeds Rhinos at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle in their last fixture. Highly-rated youngster Jake Trueman scored twice whilst Jesse Sene-Lefao also crossed for a brace of his own.
Leeds – who were under the stewardship of new management team Kevin Sinfield and James Lowes for the very first time – did manage to conjure up 10 points thanks to Tom Briscoe’s double and a goal from Liam Sutcliffe but Cas proved too superior.
Daryl Powell’s side were in a ruthless mood and found themselves over on three further occasions as the recently injured Greg Eden, Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e and Matt Cook all touched down. Leeds did lose captain Stevie Ward to injury early in the second half, but by then, the damage has already been done.
Formย
Salford have endured mixed fortunes in recent weeks, first the Red Devils returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion after triumphing 26-12 over Widnes Vikings to earn a crucial victory at the The Salford Stadium.
Two weeks later, Watson’s side travelled to nearby Warrington and competed with the Wolves for the majority of the fixture. Jack Littlejohn had arguably his best performance in a Salford shirt, after crossing for two tries, but the Australian’s night would end in disaster after rupturing his bicep.
Jake Bibby finished off a stunning team move by diving over in front of the travelling Salford faithful, but Warrington struck five times in the final 30 minutes to put the game to bed. Salford then conceded 9 tries at Hull KR just over a week later.
Castleford on the other hand, have lost just two of their last eight fixtures. The Tigers ran riot over Leeds at the Magic Weekend, secured further victories over Hull KR, Warrington, Wigan Warriors, before sentencing the Rhinos to another defeat last weekend.
The Tigers are an unpredictable side though, Powell’s men have been heavily beaten by both St Helens and the Catalans Dragons over the last two months, with each racking up 40 points or more against last year’s League Leaders Shield winners. Cas also drew 24-all with Hull KR four weeks ago and will be wary of the various threats Salford could potentially impose on Friday Evening.
Head-to-Head
In this weekโs head-to-head we pit forwards Mark Flanagan and Grant Millington against each other as we take a closer look into the pair’s impact within their respective sides.
Flanagan – who joined the Red Devils in 2016 from St Helens – has heavily impressed during his time at the The Salford Stadium. Despite missing the majority of the Super 8s last season through a shoulder injury, ‘Flash’ is a highly influential player within the squad and his ball-playing style sees him act as a third half-back in the majority of the Red Devils’ plays.
The 30-year-old is a creative player who brings a level of class and experience to the team’s attack and defence, which has seen him emerge as a consistent performer for yet another season.
๐ How about those hands!
๐ @LoganTomkins โก๏ธ Rob Lui โก๏ธ @NEvalds1993 โก๏ธ @Mark_Flash_Flan โก๏ธ @JDJones26. pic.twitter.com/d7NQJmh8Lp
— Salford Red Devils ๐น (@SalfordDevils) March 31, 2018
Millington joined the Tigers from the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2012, the 31-year-old is of a similar mould to Flanagan and despite not always featuring at loose-forward, the Aussie is always involved in his side’s plays.
Both Flanagan and Millington are highly experienced veterans and whichever side comes out on top on Friday evening, it is almost a certainty that one of the duo will have been heavily involved throughout.
Team News
Greg Johnson – who opened the scoring for Salford during last week’s defeat to the Robins – misses out on this week’s squad after being leaving the field prematurely last time out. Hooker Logan Tomkins also leaves the 19-man squad after picking up an injury in the same clash.
The duo are replaced by Luke Burgess – who has been out of action since the 30-0 defeat to Wigan in early May – and Craig Kopczak.
As for the visitors, Jamie Ellis is replaced in the Tigers’ 19-man squad and is replaced by promising back-rower Kieran Gill. Gill, 22, has spent time on-loan at League One side Oldham in recent times and impressed enough to earn a recall. In other news, Joe Wardle returns to the fold at the expense of Nathan Massey.
Squads
Salford: Junior Saโu, Robert Lui, Craig Kopczak, Josh Jones, Mark Flanagan, Lama Tasi, Ryan Lannon, Luke Burgess, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Josh Wood, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Jake Bibby, Levy Nzoungou, Daniel Murray, Jake Shorrocks, Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke.
Castleford:ย James Clare, Mitch Clark, Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Tuoyo Egodo, Kieran Gill, Oliver Holmes, Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Junior Moors, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Michael Shenton, Gadwin Springer, Jake Trueman, Liam Watts, Joe Wardle, Jake Webster.
Table Permutations ย
A Salford Red Devils victory could see them climb a place to 10thย in the Betfred Super League table, providing Hull KR fail to secure any points at Widnes. 9th place Leeds entertain local rivals Wakefield Trinity at the Emerald Headingley Stadium – and alongside a Red Devils win – a Trinity victory could see Salford move to within a point of the Rhinos.
Castleford currently occupy third spot in the table, three points adrift of Wigan. However, a win for Powell’s side could see them reduce the gap between the sides to a single point, if the Warriors lose at Huddersfield.
Ian Watson | “The circumstances make it an interesting game”
Any trip over the Pennines into Yorkshire invariably heralds the most challenging of encounters for virtually all Lancashire outfits, and exactly one month to the day since their last sojourn over to the rugby league outreach which is Hull, the Red Devils make a return visit this Sunday, to the eastern side of the city to take on Hull KR.
The context of this encounter, however, could not possibly be more significant to either club, as Head Coach, Ian Watson, is all too aware.
โThe circumstances make it an extremely interesting game, taking into account the current league placings, with us currently sitting just one place above them at tenth and eleventh. So, for us, it is a really big game where we must try to stretch this lead over them and also pull back on the teams just above us.
โNever say, โNeverโ, because we have got our confidence back, as we have shown over the past two and a half games, when we have played more like ourselves. We have been better in both defence and attack.
โWe have been focussing on the improvements we have made over this period, and on maintaining them.โ
Craven Park is a particularly intimidating venue, with its being a bridge, in style, between the old type of stadia, such as The Willows, with the spectators very close to the pitch, and the modern facilities of the AJ Bell.
โThey even have their own version of the Shed, where long-time fans like to go and watch. But then there are the more modern parts.
โItโs a good place to go to play in, because itโs a rugby stadium through and through, and they have a good fan base to go with it.
โWe are focusing on this next game, and then moving forward from there. We have beaten Hull KR already this season, and this, together with their home advantage is going to spur them on, so we must meet their challenge on the day. We have to focus on winning each game as it comes along.
โWhen he was at Wakefield, Brian Smith took that other view, and that might be an option with a squad of forty, but with only twenty-one there are just not enough players to do this.
โEveryone will have their own way of addressing the challenge. Ours is to continue in the way we have been doing in the last few weeks โ gaining further confidence in our execution in both attack and defence. We have conceded some soft tries so we need to ensure Hull KR, and the remaining teams we still have to face, do not get any.โ
For the early period of the second half, in last weekโs outing at Warrington, the Red Devils appeared to have taken complete control of the game โ a development seemingly sparked by the ten minute reduction to twelve men, with the sin-binning of Ryan Lannon. This inspired them not only to prevent Warrington from scoring during this period, but also to cross, themselves, with the second of Jack Littlejohnโs tries.
โUp to that point, Warrington had been finishing their sets a little better than we had, which had helped them territorially, but sometimes a sinbinning can give you the shot you need to get back into the game.
โEarlier this year, we were allowing such things to totally deflate us, but the confidence in how we are now playing has rejuvenated the whole side.โ
A noticeably growing injury list is now starting to deprive the team of an increasing number of players, which could mean that some of the younger players will have to shoulder more of the responsibilities.
โAll teams get injuries, and we have had a lot of niggling, short-term injuries which has prevented us turning out a settled team week after week. We had just been getting some consistency and now we are going to be disrupted again.
โSome of the younger players who have recently returned to the team, such as Dan Murray, Jake Bibby, and Ryan Lannon have all earned their places back, and any player who performs well will continue to hold down their position.โ
Match Report | Warrington Wolves 30-14 Salford Red Devils
Salford Red Devils fell to defeat against Warrington despite a resilient performance which saw them cause the hosts problems and go into the final thirty minutes on par with the Wolves.
Jack Littlejohn crossed for a first half double but tries from Sitaleki Akauola, Tom Lineham and Toby King saw Warrington go into the break ahead by four points. Red Devils forward Ryan Lannon spent ten minutes in the sin bin for a professional foul before the interval.
Jake Bibbyโs early second half score edged Salford in front however three unanswered tries from Josh Charnley, Daryl Clark and Mike Cooper pulled the game away from Ian Watsonโs men.
Didnโt get the result we wanted tonight. Effort was there. Some positive to take out of that game. On to next week. Big thanks to our @SalfordDevils FANS you guys were awesome!!! ๐ดโช๏ธ๐ดโช๏ธ #WeAreSalford
— Junior Sa'u (@junior_sau) June 29, 2018
Salford started strongly but fell behind after eight minutes as Tyrone Roberts stepped through the line and found Akauola who finished under the posts. However, the Red Devils soon found themselves level when Jack Littlejohn capitalised on some slick hands out wide to force his way over from close-range. Rob Lui converted to level the scores.
Warrington regained their lead in just a matter of minutes when Lineham scooped up a loose pass and managed to race to the corner despite pressure from Lui. Goodwin missed the conversion attempt. Midway through the half Wire extended their lead further as Toby King latched onto Robertsโ low kick.
As the Wolves built momentum they almost crossed again through Charnley but a wonderful tackle from Lannon prevented the winger. However, Lannon would be sent to the sin-bin for holding Charnley down for too long yards from the Salford try-line.
While this could have seen Warrington kick on it instead invigorated the Red Devils as Littlejohn went over for his second try. Lui managed to pull off a late pass to George Griffin who flicked the ball out of the backdoor in turn to Littlejohn who doubled his account for the evening.
And, it was Salford who started the second half stronger and pulled themselves level thanks to Jake Bibby. The Red Devils played some expansive rugby to break down field before Bibby picked up a low pass and raced thirty metres to score.
Again, Watsonโs side werenโt level for long as Charnley pulled off a spectacular finish in the corner despite the best efforts of Derrell Olpherts. A back-and-forth twenty-minute spell ensued with the Red Devils going close on a number of occasions but failing to cross.
Warrington โ with ten minutes remaining โ mounted some sustained pressure on the Salford line and Daryl Clark jinked his way over. Mike Cooper finished the scoring in the closing stages to help Warrington pull away.
https://twitter.com/MarkWilsonRadio/status/1012797117352566784
Salford Lineup: Littlejohn; Olpherts, Saโu, Welham, Bibby; Lui, Shorrocks; Tasi, Wood, Mossop, Griffin, Lannon, Burke.
Interchanges: Tomkins, Nakubuwai, Murray, Flanagan.
Warrington Lineup: M.Brown; Lineham, Goodwin, T. King, Charnley; K. Brown, Roberts; Akauoloa, Clark, Cooper, Pomeroy, Hughes, Westwood.
Interchanges: Philbin, G. King, Patton, Crosby.
Salford scorers: Littlejohn (12, 35โ). Bibby (46โ) | Goals: Lui (13โ)
Warrington scorers: Akauola (8โ), Lineham (16โ), T.King (24โ), Charnley (52), Clark (70โ), Cooper (79โ) | Goals: Goodwin (9โ, 53โ, 71โ)
Salford sin-bin: Lannon โ professional foul (27โ)
Man of the Match: Jack Littlejohn.
Referee: Chris Kendall. Touch Judges: G. Jones & P. Brooke.
Attendance:ย 9171.
Preview | Warrington Wolves vs Salford Red Devils | Friday 29th June
The Red Devils travel to the Halliwell Jones Stadium to face Warrington Wolves in search of back-to-back victories following a crucial win over Widnes Vikings two weeks ago.
Last time out
Salford returned to winning ways a fortnight ago with a 26-12 victory over Widnes Vikings at the The Salford Stadium in a game which saw the Red Devils fight back after going into the interval behind.
Ian Watsonโs men scored 18 unanswered points after the break with Jake Bibby, debutant Greg Burke โ against his parent club โ and Rob Lui all scoring with the final try coming following Chris Houstonโs red card for dissent.
Kris Welham crossed for a brace in the first half before being sin-binned while Tom Gilmore and Patrick Ah Van were the Vikingsโ try-scorers.
Warrington narrowly edged out Wakefield in their last Betfred Super League outing but had raced into a 20-0 lead thanks to scores from Stefan Ratchford and Tom Lineham. Tinirau Aruna was Trinityโs only scorer in the first half.
Kyle Woodโs double closed the gap further however Kevin Brown kept Warrington in control. Sita Akauloa was sent for ten minutes following a high tackle and Trinity took advantage crossing via Tom Johnstone and Pauli Pauli but there wasnโt enough time to finish a comeback as the Wolves maintained their position inside the top four.
Formย
Salford returned to winning ways against Widnes Vikings at the The Salford Stadium following a tough run throughout the month of May. The Red Devils were unfortunate to lose out to Catalans and Huddersfield before a spirited second half performance against Hull FC. The hard work paid off as Salford earned a vital two points against the Vikings.
Despite still sitting inside the top four, Warrington have had a mixed bag of results since the start of May. They earned impressive victories against Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC either side of a disappointing Dacia Magic Weekend showing against Wigan Warriors.
Since, they have been narrowly edged out by Castleford Tigers by four points before then pipping Wakefield Trinity by two points at the Mobile Rocket Stadium. The Wolves have won four of their last five games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Head-to-Head
In this weekโs head-to-head we pit centres Kris Welham and Bryson Goodwin against each other as both put in Man of the Match performances in their last outings.
Welham โ who has missed just one game for the Red Devils in 2018 โ crossed for a first half brace against Widnes with his second marking 150 career tries. The experienced centre has continued his form into his second season with the Club and has been consistent in both attack and defence.
๐ Congratulations to @KrisWelham who crossed for his 1โฃ5โฃ0โฃth career try last night with this effort! pic.twitter.com/iIcSzskdjA
— Salford Red Devils ๐น (@SalfordDevils) June 15, 2018
Goodwin joined Warrington from Leigh Centurions at the start of the 2018 season and has proven a solid addition. The Kiwi caused a lot of issues for Trinity out wide a fortnight ago as well as kicking three pivotal goals.
Kris Welham was one of the standout performances against Wire earlier in the season as noted in our ‘Stat Pack’ following the game. Both Welham and Goodwin are veterans and whichever centre can cause the opposition the most issues could see their side come out on top on Friday evening.
Team News
Mark Flanagan โ who missed out on the victory over Widnes with concussion โ returns to the squad alongside Lee Mossop who could also re-enter the team. Craig Kopczak and Tyrone McCarthy are the two players who leave the 19-man squad which was named to take on Widnes a fortnight ago.
Harvey Livett is likely to miss a few weeks for the Wolves while Ryan Atkins is also sidelined. Warrington have also decided to rest Chris Hill and Stefan Ratchford who both featured in Englandโs test win over New Zealand in Denver last weekend.
Squads
Warrington: Sitaleki Akauola, Kevin Brown, Mitch Brown, Josh Charnley, Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Dom Crosby, Bryson Goodwin, Jack Hughes, George King, Toby King, Tom Lineham, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Dec Patton, Joe Philbin, Ben Pomeroy, Tyrone Roberts, Morgan Smith, Ben Westwood.
Salford: Greg Johnson, Kris Welham, Junior Saโu, Robert Lui, Jack Littlejohn, Logan Tomkins, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan, Lama Tasi, Ryan Lannon, Ben Nakubuwai, Josh Wood, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Jake Bibby, Daniel Murray, Jake Shorrocks, Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke.
Table Permutations ย
A Salford Red Devils victory could see them climb up to 9th in the Betfred Super League table dependant on Catalans Dragons result against Castleford Tigers. Hull KR sit in 11th place but a victory for the Robins wouldnโt see them move above Salford.
Warrington โ similarly to the Red Devils โ canโt move down the Betfred Super League table even if Hull FC overcome Widnes Vikings. However, Steve Priceโs side can overtake Castleford if the Tigers lose to Catalans Dragons and the Wolves win.
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