Salford Red Devils fell to a 33-22 defeat against Wakefield Trinity at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.
Wakefield opened the scoring through David Fifita, but this was soon cancelled out by Niall Evalds. Tries for the hosts followed from Ryan Hampshire, Reece Lyne and Pauli Pauli while Kris Welham crossed for Salford.
Jacob Miller furthered Wakefield’s lead in the second half. Quickfire tries from Derrell Olpherts and Jackson Hastings gave glimpse of a fightback but Brough would add a penalty and drop-goal to give Wakefield the victory.
Fifita’s try came on the back of a number of dropped balls from both sides with three Red Devils failing to gather possession before the prop-forward scooped up the ball to score. Brough converted.
Wakefield’s lead didn’t last long however as Salford broke free down the left-hand side and Olpherts’ clever kick inside was pounced on by an onrushing Evalds. Chamberlain’s conversion levelled the scores.
On the 20-minute mark, Wakefield restored their advantage as Hampshire jinked his way through the Salford line. The hosts would score again minutes later as Miller’s cross-field kick was taken by centre Lyne. Brough converted both.
Salford would narrow the deficit as Rob Lui’s looping pass found Ed Chamberlain who streaked away and found Welham in support with the experienced centre scoring on his return. But Wakefield finished the first half scoring as Pauli powered over from close-range. Brought’s conversion ensured Trinity had a 14-point lead at the break.
It was Wakefield who opened the scoring in the second-half, also. Brough’s clever reverse kick was taken by Miller to the right of the posts. Brough again converted.
The Red Devils would muster a mini-revival as Hastings found Bibby who in turn pulled off an exceptional offload to Olpherts who scored in the corner. Chamberlain converted from the touchline.
Hastings – who was involved in the previous try – again looked to the left-hand side but cut back inside himself and barged his way over despite the efforts of three Wakefield defenders. Chamberlain converted to reduce the arrears to eight points.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Brough added a penalty goal and then followed with a drop-goal just two minutes later to move Wakefield into a 33-22 lead which they would see out despite Salford’s late pressure.
WAKEFIELD: Hampshire, Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Arundel, Tupou; Miller, Brough; Fifita, Wood, England, Pauli, Ashurst, Arona.
INTERCHANGES: Crowther, King, Kopczak, Horo.
SALFORD: Evalds, Olpherts, Bibby, Welham, Chamberlain; Lui, Hastings; Lawton, Lussick, Dudson, Jones, Griffin, Flanagan.
INTERCHANGES: Burke, Walker, Turgut, Inu.
Wakefield Tries: Fifita (4’), Hampshire (19’), Miller (25’), Pauli (37’), Miller (53’)
Wakefield Conversions: Brough (5’, 20’, 26’, 38’, 54’, 65’).
Wakefield Drop-Goal: Brough (67’).
Salford Tries: Evalds (9’), Welham (32’), Olpherts (58’), Hastings (61’).
Salford Conversions: Chamberlain (10’, 59’, Hastings (62’).
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas.
Attendance: 4356
Man of the Match: Jackson Hastings.
Tag: Mobile Rocket Stadium
Tickets | You can now buy tickets for Wakefield away
Tickets are now available to purchase for our upcoming trip to the Mobile Rocket Stadium to face Wakefield Trinity on Sunday 31st March.
Salford Red Devils fans can purchase their tickets for this massive Betfred Super League clash from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office or over the phone on 0161 786 1570. Remember, Salford Red Devils retain 25% of your purchase if you buy in advance from the The Salford Stadium.
Ticket prices will rise by £3 for all price categories if you purchase from the Mobile Rocket Stadium on gameday. For the cheapest price on your ticket purchase in advance.
Tickets for this game are available from the The Salford Stadium up until 4pm on Saturday 30th March.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult: £22
Over 65s: £16
Junior: £5
Junior Swaps: Available in advance from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office.
There is also coach travel available to book for this fixture and this can be done at the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office or over the phone on 0161 786 1570. The coach is priced at £15 for all classes.
The pick-up points and times are as follows:
Chandos Social Club: 11:45am
Royal Sovereign: 12:00pm
Eccles Town Hall: 12:10pm
Dog & Partridge: 12:20pm
The Salford Stadium: 12:40pm
Salford Red Devils retain 100% of your coach booking fee. Supporters are reminded to arrive at their pick-up point with plenty of time.
Factfile | Wakefield Trinity vs Salford Red Devils | Friday 9th February
Ahead of tonight’s Betfred Super League clash with Wakefield Trinity at the Mobile Rocket Stadium we take a look at all the facts surrounding this evenings fixture.
Head-to-Head
Last season Salford met Wakefield on four separate occasions in 2017. The Red Devils knocked off Trinity en route to the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final with a dominant 30-6 victory at the The Salford Stadium.
However, Trinity got the upper hand in the Betfred Super League winning narrowly in the closing stages at the Mobile Rocket Stadium before consecutive wins at the The Salford Stadium.
Salford’s last win at Wakefield came back in 2015 which ended a winless streak for The Red Devils with Harrison Hansen crossing for a double alongside tries from Theo Fages and Scott Taylor.
Overall since the introduction of Super League Salford Red Devils have racked up fifteen wins against Trinity while Wakefield have won 25. There have been two Super League draws between the sides – a 23-23 draw at Wakefield in 2013 and a 22-22 draw at The Willows back in 2002.
Played for both
Red Devils prop-forward has George Griffin had a brief stint with Wakefield Trinity in 2015 on loan from Salford. Griffin appeared for Wakefield on five occasions.
While Greg Johnson hasn’t been included in this weekend’s squad he has also featured for the West Yorkshire side. Johnson made twelve appearances for Trinity in 2011 scoring twice.
On the opposing side, Wakefield have a few ex-Red Devils in their ranks. Wingers Ben Jones-Bishop and Mason Caton-Brown both donned the Red of Salford scoring twelve and ten tries for Salford, respectively. Caton-Brown notched a hat-trick against his former side last season.
Impressive second-rower Matty Ashurst also spent time at the The Salford Stadium between 2012 and 2014 racking up 75 appearances for Salford and powering over for 11 tries.
Scorers
Prop-forward Craig Kopczak has actually scored in each of his last three appearances for Salford against Wakefield Trinity. Almost a quarter of Kopczak’s tries for The Red Devils have come against Wakefield.
Wakefield opened their 2018 season with victory over newly-promoted Hull Kingston Rovers last weekend and returning winger Tom Johnstone crossed for a hat-trick. Johnstone is currently atop the 2018 Super League try-scoring charts alongside Hull FC’s Fetuli Talanoa, Leeds’ Jimmy Keinhorst and St Helens centre Mark Percival.
Niall Evalds was Salford’s top try-scorer in the 2017 season and he crossed last weekend in defeat against Wigan Warriors. Kris Welham is the only other Red Devil to score so far this season.
Tickets now on sale for our clash with Wakefield Trinity
Tickets for our first away game of the 2018 Betfred Super League season against Wakefield Trinity on Friday 9th February are now on sale.
Remember, kick-off against Trinity in our second game of the season will be at 7:35pm so fans are reminded to set off that little bit earlier. You can purchase your tickets from the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570.
Ticket prices are set to rise by £3 for any Salford supporters who don’t purchase early from the The Salford Stadium and decide to pay on the day at the Mobile Rocket Stadium. Salford Red Devils also receive 25% of any tickets purchased directly from us prior to the game.
Junior Swaps are available from the The Salford Stadium Club Ticket Office and will now be exchanged on the day at Wakefield. Be aware there are also no concession prices for students or young adults.
Away fans will be situated in the West Stand and must make their way to the western terrace turnstiles exit D to gain entry to the ground, this will be the only entrance for away fans only.
The full ticket prices are as follows:
Adults: £21
Seniors (65+): £15
Juniors: £5
Carers: Free
Junior Season Ticket Holders: Free but will need to exchange for a Junior Swap at the The Salford Stadium.
Infants (5 and under): Free of charge and don’t need to be issued with a ticket.
Remember, ticket prices will increase by £3 on match day.
A Salford Red Devils supporters coach will also be on offer for fans travelling to the Mobile Rocket Stadium.
You can book a place on the coach for £15.00 and the pick-up time are as follows:
Chandos Social Club: 16:30pm
Royal Sovereign: 16:40pm
Eccles Town Hall: 16:55pm
Dog and Partridge: 17:05pm
The Salford Stadium: 17:25pm
You can purchase your tickets for our game against Wakefield from the Club Ticket Office or over the phone on 0161 786 1570.