We welcome St Helens for our final game of the 2017 season and ahead of Thursday’s fixture we take a look at Saints’ visit to the The Salford Stadium last season when the Red Devils ran out convincing winners.
Salford came into their first home game of 2016 on the back of 2o-42 opening weekend defeat the KCOM Stadium while St Helens earned a 30-16 win over Huddersfield.
But it was the Red Devils started the game on the front foot as Greg Johnson latched onto a low Michael Dobson kick to put Salford ahead after just four minutes. Ian Watson’s side went on to control the first half and take a 32-6 lead into half-time.
Craig Kopczak powered his way over before Robert Lui crossed for the hosts before Alex Walmsley came on from the bench and crashed over but that was as good as it got for St Helens in the first half as Luke Walsh was sent to the sin-bin shortly after.
Niall Evalds took advantage of some fantastic play from Ben Murdoch-Masila and Justin Carney to extend the Red Devils lead further. Carney was again central to Salford’s attacking play as a clever run on his flank allowed Lui to grab his second of the evening.
Even the interval didn’t slow the Red Devils down as Adam Walne bundled his way over from close-range just two minutes after the restart. Dobson eventually got himself on the scoresheet as he warded off three Saints’ challenges before Adam Swift got a late consolation for the visitors. However, it was the Red Devils who had the last laugh as Evalds jinked his way over for his second and Salford’s eighth in a stunning victory.
The teams that day
Red Devils: O’Brien, Carney, J. Jones, J. Griffin, Johnson; Lui, Dobson; Kopczak, Lee, G. Griffin, Murdoch-Masila, Flanagan, Lannon. Interchanges: Evalds, A. Walne, Tomkins, Joseph.
Saints: Owens, Makinson, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Percival, Swift; Turner, Walsh; Amor, Knowles, Tasi, Vea, Wilkin, Thompson. Interchanges: Walmsley, Richards, Savelio, Fages.
