Stat Pack | Salford Red Devils 38-22 Leeds Rhinos

Salford Red Devils earned just their third victory over Leeds Rhinos since the inception of the Betfred Super League and we delve into the facts and figures that made it happen.
Player in Focus
The likes of Jackson Hastings, Rob Lui and Niall Evalds took the plaudits for a fantastic victory over Leeds however back-rower Tyrone McCarthy was a key performer who possibly slipped under the radar.


McCarthy was the Red Devils most prolific tackler against the Rhinos racking up a total of 38 defensive efforts. This was six more than any other Salford player with Lama Tasi coming second with 32. Nine of these tackles came from marker which indicate back-to-back efforts from the Ireland international. This, again, was the highest of any Red Devil.
The 30-year-old made 12 carries amounting to a total of 72 metres against Leeds leaving him with an average gain of six metres. This was bested in the forwards by only Josh Jones and Ryan Lannon. McCarthy was also important with ball in hand completing 12 passes and jumping in at acting halfback on a few occasions.
Offloads
Josh Jones has returned to the Salford side in recent weeks after a short stint on the sidelines and is well-known for his offloading ability which was once again on show versus Leeds. Jones completed three offloads against the Rhinos with one leading to a half-break.


However, it wasn’t just the back-rower racking up the offloads with halfback duo Rob Lui and Jackson Hastings also managed to get three offloads apiece away. Josh Wood made two offloads while Niall Evalds, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Tyrone McCarthy and Mark Flanagan also notched an offload each.
Salford made 16 offloads overall compared to ten from Leeds.
Overall Stats
In his post-match press conference Ian Watson commented that β€œwhen we complete sets, we usually win games” and that was evident this weekend with the Red Devils completing 81% of their sets in comparison with Leeds’ 64% completion rate. Salford had a total of 37 sets four more than Leeds but completed nine more than the visitors.

Salford spent almost three minutes more with ball in hand which totalled to 19 more play-the-balls than the Rhinos. However, Leeds actually made 23 quick play-the-balls compared to the Red Devils 14 but – in the end – it didn’t count for much.
Leeds conceded three more penalties than Salford who only has five given against them and the Red Devils made just eight errors compared to the visitors 13.

Stat Pack | Catalans Dragons 44-10 Salford Red Devils

Following yesterday’s clash with Catalans Dragons in Perpignan, we take a look at some of the stats, facts and figures behind the game.
Player in Focus
It was a tough evening in the South of France for the Red Devils, but Daniel Murray continued to impress with another strong display as he furthers his position in the first team.
Murray was the Red Devils top tackler in tough conditions racking up an impressive 48 tackles throughout the eighty minutes. In fact, of his tackle attempts the forward missed just one and was one of the big performers for Ian Watson’s side.
It was just in defence that Murray was making an impression, but the 22-year-old amounted 81 metres from ten carries – the second highest of any of the Red Devil forwards. Murray also forced a tackle bust and earned two quick play-the-balls.
Youngsters impressing
In his post-match press conference Ian Watson eluded to some youngsters playing more minutes than they possibly would had the Red Devils not been struggling with injuries, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be doing them any harm in terms of the statistics.
In addition to Daniel Murray, Ryan Lannon and Josh Wood also had impressive showings at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Lannon was the biggest metre-eater in terms of the Salford pack piling up 103 metres from 11 carries – this was bested by only Derrell Olpherts. The back-rower also made 23 tackles, forced three tackle busts, earned three quick-play-the-balls and made two successful offloads.
Josh Wood – who has named as Man of the Match last weekend against Castleford – backed up with another terrific performance. The hooker crossed for his first try of the 2018 Betfred Super League in the second half after bouncing off two attempted tackles.
Wood – as always – worked tirelessly in defence with 30 tackles whilst scoring a try and earning one try-assist.
Overall stats
There was a big gap between the sides in terms of time with ball in hand. The Dragons had possession for over ten more minutes than the Red Devils which would eventually take its toll. This amounted to 16 more sets with the ball of which Catalans completed 34, Salford completed 16.
On the opposite end this meant Salford had to do a lot more work in defence and in fact made a total of 375 tackles, 128 more than the hosts. Both teams had a 91% tackle rate.
The penalty count was relatively low with the Red Devils conceding four in comparison to the French sides three. However, Catalans did make more offloads, more breaks and less errors which helped them take control of the game.
 
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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 – who impressed last weekend against Hull Kingston Rovers – made his home debut for the Red Devils and was a standout performer at the The Salford Stadium.
Chamberlain’s 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 didn’t have much to do defensively making seven tackles and he successfully converted Bibby’s try from the touchline.
Defensive Efforts
Daniel Murray continues to impress for the Salford Red Devils and in last night’s 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 Sa’u 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
It’s 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 Salford’s three.
The Tigers narrowly edged it on set completion with 70% to Salford’s 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.

Stat Pack | Hull FC 45-14 Salford Red Devils

We take a look at all the stats from last night’s game against Hull FC at the KCOM Stadium.
Player in focusΒ 
This week’s β€˜Player in Focus’ is George Griffin who crossed for a try late on for the Red Devils; his third of the season.
Griffin was one of five Salford players to rack up over 100 metres with ball in hand alongside Greg Johnson, Junior Sa’u, Derrell Olpherts and Lee Mossop. The prop-forward also made 31 tackles sitting one behind regular top tackler Logan Tomkins. Griffin made ten carries throughout the game as well as making one initial break.
Backs earning hard yards
The focus is often on the forwards when it comes to making the metres but Salford’s outside backs put their hands up against Hull FC last night.
Derrell Olpherts – who has impressed in recent weeks – was the team’s biggest metre-eater totalling 150 metres with ball in hand. He was followed by reliable centre Junior Sa’u who made 135 metres while Greg Johnson was just eight metres behind Sa’u.
Olpherts finished the game with an average of 8.8 metres per carry while Kris Welham, Sa’u and Johnson were all above 7 metres per carry, on average.
Overall stats
The biggest difference between the sides was completed sets with Hull FC managing to complete on 30 occasions; nine more than the Red Devils. The teams were relatively evenly matched in terms of incomplete sets 9-11.
Salford actually spent more time with ball in hand than the Black and Whites and also had more play-the-balls and more quick play-the-balls. However, the penalty count was comfortably in the hosts’ favour, 4-10.
In areas such as breaks, offloads and errors the sides were extremely evenly matched. Hull FC made ten more tackles than Salford and missed six more than the Red Devils.

Stat Pack | Wigan Warriors 30-0 Salford Red Devils

It was a tough evening for the Red Devils at the DW Stadium but there were still some interesting stats behind the result and we take a look in this week’s ‘Stat Pack’.
Derrell Olpherts
He was one of the three players mentioned in this week’s three talking points, but fullback Derrell Olpherts is also this week’s β€˜Player in Focus’.
Olpherts had to step into the fullback role in place of an unavailable Niall Evalds and put together some impressive stats at the DW Stadium.
The former Newcastle Thunder man amounted 19 carries – more than any other Red Devil on the evening. While a percentage of these were in kick returns, Olpherts also brought the ball out from his own line with the rest of the backs on numerous occasions.
Olpherts made 180 metres from his 19 carries making him the sides biggest metre-maker on the evening also averaging 9.5 metres per carry. The fullback made nine tackles including bringing down Tom Davies in the late stages of the game.
The 26-year-old was also confident fielding kicks with six kick collections from a possible six.
Defensive shifts
With Logan Tomkins the only hooker in the Salford side last night, the former Wigan Warriors man had to play for almost a full 80 minutes before leaving for a concussion assessment in the closing stages.
Tomkins racked up a mammoth 51 tackles which was 15 more than any other Red Devil on the field. As always, Tomkins also had the most passes for Salford with 92.
Tyrone McCarthy – who is consistently one of the highest tacklers – made 36 and was equal with youngster Daniel Murray who put in another fantastic Betfred Super League performance.
Weller Hauraki and Craig Kopczak also made 30 tackles apiece.
Overall stats
Head Coach Ian Watson eluded to his sides lack of possession and amount of defence being a major factor in last night’s game against Wigan and that can be seen in the post-match stats.
Wigan had 15 more sets than Salford throughout the 80 minutes completing 37 of their 47. The Red Devils completed 23 of their 29. This was also mirrored in the amount of play-the-balls with the Warriors having 154 compared to Salford’s 118. Salford spent 11 minutes less in possession than the hosts.
The penalty count was relatively even with Salford conceding seven to Wigan’s eight. The error count was also similar with Wigan totalling six errors to Salford’s eight.

Stat Pack | Salford Red Devils 10-60 St Helens

Salford Red Devils fell to defeat against St Helens last night and we take a look at the stats behind the result in this week’s β€˜Stat Pack’.Β 
Logan TomkinsΒ 
This week’s β€˜Player in Focus’ is Logan Tomkins who spent two separate spells on the field in defeat against St Helens interchanging with fellow hooker Josh Wood.
Tomkins was Salford’s busiest man in defence making 46 tackles – nine more than any other Red Devil. Logan finished the evening with a 96% tackle rate which put him behind only George Griffin and Jack Littlejohn.
At hooker, Tomkins made more passes than any of his teammates with 72 attempted throughout the game. Tomkins also made four carries from acting half-back winning 21 metres.Β 
Overall stats
Saints controlled the majority of the game which was evident in the stats following the final whistle.
The visitors spent ten minutes more than Salford in possession, completed ten more sets and having around 40 more play-the-balls. While the Red Devils did a lot of defending, Saints managed to limit there’s making around 90 less tackles.
Salford managed to rack up 829 metres in total, forced four clean breaks and made three offloads on Thursday night.
Tackling
Salford spent large periods of the game defending with the majority of the Red Devils forwards racking up 20+ tackles. Ryan Lannon – who has returned to the side in recent weeks – clocked off at 37 tackles and was closely followed by George Griffin with 33.
Luke Burgess, Mark Flanagan, Craig Kopczak, Lama Tasi and Tyrone McCarthy all found themselves with 20+ defensive efforts throughout the game. Kris Welham was the only back to rack up over 20 tackles finishing the evening with 23.
As mentioned, Logan Tomkins amounted 46 tackles – more than any other player on the field.

Stat Pack | Huddersfield Giants 12-30 Salford Red Devils

Following yesterday’sΒ emphatic away victory over Huddersfield Giants we’ve rounded up the key figures in this week’s ‘Stat Pack’.
Rob Lui
Half-back Rob Lui earned yesterday’s Man of the Match award and he is this week’s β€˜Player in Focus’.
Lui kicked a pivotal 40/20 early in the game which set Salford off on the front foot and the Australian almost kicked another in the second half but was denied by a matter of inches.
The half-back put in ten kicks throughout the game with six of them being clever positional kicks at key times for Salford.
With 17 carries amounting to 136 metres – the most of any Red Devil – meant Lui was a constant threat for the Giants defence. Lui also racked up one try assist, one break pass, two initial breaks and ten tackle busts in a brilliant attacking display.
Hard yards
There were some hard yards earned all over the park by the Salford Red Devils in yesterday’s victory against Huddersfield Giants with six players averaging eight metres or more per carry.
Greg Johnson averaged a ten-metre gain per carry helping the Red Devils bring the ball out from their own half. Jake Bibby and Junior Sa’u both averaged over eight metres per carry in a physical afternoon for the backs.
Lama Tasi came on from the bench and made the impact we’ve come to expect this season averaging almost nine metres per carry. Jack Littlejohn and Logan Tomkins also averaged over eight metres per carry.
Overall control
Salford were in front from the moment Mark Flanagan crossed just after the ten-minute mark and the Red Devils controlled the game from thereon out.
The Red Devils spent more time in possession than Huddersfield by almost three minutes, had a total of five more sets and completed ten more than the Giants throughout the game.
Of course, this led to more carries for the Red Devils, more play-the-balls, more quick play-the-balls and 128 more metres made.

Stat Pack | Salford Red Devils 6-22 Warrington Wolves

While the Red Devils may have suffered defeat against Warrington Wolves on Saturday afternoon there were still some impressive stats to delve into in this week’s β€˜Stat Pack’.Β 
Kris Welham
This week’s β€˜Player in Focus’ was Kris Welham who was one of the standout performers in his 200th Betfred Super League appearance.
The centre was one of the busiest players on the park in both attack and defence yesterday. Welham racked up an impressive 25 tackles which was more than any other Red Devils back.
Welham also made 14 carries – the third highest of any Salford player – and managed to rack up 132 metres made giving him the title of the Red Devils biggest metre maker on Saturday afternoon.
Outside backs
In fact, all four of the outside backs played their part in returning the ball and getting Salford on the front foot with each amassing over 100 metres.
As mentioned, Welham led the way with 132 before being closely followed by Derrell Olpherts – who made his home Betfred Super League debut with 118. Jake Bibby and Junior Sa’u made 107 and 101, respectively.
Sa’u and Olpherts both made an impressive 15 carries in the game, Welham made 14 while winger Jake Bibby and full-back Rob Lui each took the ball up 11 times.
Mammoth defensive efforts
In the early stages of the game Warrington dominated possession which saw Salford stand tall and some of the forwards build up immense tackle numbers.
Club Captain Weller Hauraki led the way – not for the first time this season – with 43 tackles and was challenged by both Mark Flanagan and Josh Wood who both hit the 40-tackle mark.
Jack Littlejohn, Kris Welham, Craig Kopczak, Lee Mossop and Josh Jones all made over 25 tackles in a tough game at the The Salford Stadium. Josh Jones also had a 100% tackle rate.

Stat Pack | Leeds Rhinos 20-0 Salford Red Devils

Salford Red Devils suffered defeat to Leeds on Easter Monday however there were still some impressive stats coming from the performance and we’ve broken them down in these week’s ‘Stat Pack’.Β 
Daniel MurrayΒ 
Prop-forward Daniel Murray started his first game of the 2018 season for the Red Devils after impressing on loan with Halifax RLFC and he’s our β€˜player in focus’ this week.
Murray worked hard in defence making 30 tackles throughout the afternoon which was only bested by Logan Tomkins (41), Ben Nakubuwai (33) and Ryan Lannon (31). The youngster didn’t miss a single tackle in what was an impressive start to his 2018 for Salford.
And, it wasn’t just in defence where Murray stood strong making a total of 65 metres in his 11 carries and successfully busting two tackles. Following his performance, the competition for places in the pack is as strong as ever.
Yardage by the backs
Junior Sa’u is consistently one of the strongest runners in the Salford side and this weekend at Leeds was no difference with the Kiwi averaging 7.6 metres per carry.
However, it wasn’t just Sa’u who impressed with his yardage in attack with winger Jake Bibby also averaging 7.6 metres per carry. Bibby made seven carries while Sa’u amounted 10 carries.
Josh Jones averaged with the highest average gain in the forwards with seven metres and also made the most tackle busts with four.
Attempts to break Leeds down
Salford spent some considerable time on the Leeds line and players like Kris Welham and George Griffin both managed to earn quick play-the-balls.
Derrell Olpherts was a handful for Brian McDermott’s side as he managed to earn two penalties, a quick play-the-ball, a tackle bust and a successful offload.
Rob Lui attempted to penetrate the Rhinos defence with a range of kicks including two low kicks and three bombs.

Stat Pack | Salford Red Devils 32-16 Catalans Dragons

After yesterday’s dominant 32-16 victory over Catalans Dragons we take a look at all the stats behind the performance.Β 
Josh Jones
This week’s player in focus is second-rower Josh Jones who crossed for the Red Devils fourth try of the afternoon.
Jones, who is an ever-present so far this season, was one of three Salford players to break the 100 metres made mark alongside full-back Niall Evalds and prop-forward Craig Kopczak. Jones carried the ball 17 times throughout the afternoon.
The 24-year-old’s power was too much for the Dragons defence as Jones made five tackle busts and managed to get away three passes. Eight players amounted over twenty tackles with Jones also falling into that category.
Defence
It was another big defensive effort at the The Salford Stadium from the Red Devils and, on his 100th game for the Club, Logan Tomkins racked up the most tackles with 33. He was closely followed by Club Captain Weller Hauraki who made 32 and was the top tackler in the last home game against Hull FC.
Kris Welham was the top tackler in the backs as he made 20 tackles while fellow centre Junior Sa’u wasn’t far behind with 18. Greg Johnson, Rob Lui, Mark Flanagan and Luke Burgess all failed to miss a tackle in yesterday’s game.
Line breaking
In our three talking points from the Catalans game we mentioned the Red Devils ability to break from anywhere on the field and the stats only back that up.
Jake Bibby and Rob Lui both made two initial breaks in the game while Niall Evalds and Kris Welham also had an initial break apiece. Ben Nakubuwai was the only forward to make an initial break in the lead up to Greg Johnson’s try.
Catalans were struggling to contain Salford Jones, Evalds, Bibby and Lui all making a handful of tackle busts, in fact Lui totalled seven in the eighty-minute performance. Hauraki and Lee Mossop led the way for the forwards with three each.

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