Salford failed to make it three league wins on the bounce in East Hull this afternoon, losing 43-16 to Tony Smith’s Hull KR.
The Red Devils had the first big chance of the game in the eighth minute. Deon Cross broke down the right flank and exchanged the ball back and forth with the supporting Ken Sio, before the winger sent a grubber kick ahead of himself that was just too heavy.
Lachlan Coote put the hosts in front three minutes later, latching onto the end of his own kick to score to the left of the sticks.
Coote doubled his try tally in the 15th minute thanks to Mikey Lewis’ footwork – KR’s number 20 weaved through the middle of the Salford line and fed Coote who dived over under the posts.
Just after the half-way mark of the first forty, Ryan Hall got himself on the scoresheet. KR moved the ball left from a scrum and a looping pass out wide allowed Hall to stroll over unopposed.
Salford responded five minutes later with their first try of the game. Penned in in the left corner, the Red Devils managed to keep the ball alive on the last tackle and it eventually found itself in the in-goal area for Kallum Watkins to get a hand to.
Just before the hooter to signal the interval, Coote sent over a drop-goal 20 metres out.
Half-time: Hull KR 19-6 Salford Red Devils
Hall picked up his second try of the game in the 49th minute, receiving the ball out left and darting over the try-line from 5 metres out.
Tyler Dupree saw yellow in the 56th minute for an altercation with Elliot Minchella, before Elliot Ryan extended the Robins’ lead in the 63rd minute with a try under the sticks.
The Robins kept their momentum going and scored again three minutes later. This time it was Ben Crooks who powered through a gap in the Salford line. Harvey Livett was sent to the sin-bin following Crooks’ try for arguing with referee Tom Grant.
The last 10 minutes saw Cross and Joe Burgess score for Salford, with Crooks’ second in between for KR, but they were merely a consolation.
Full-time: Hull KR 43-16 Salford Red Devils
Hull KR: Coote, Ryan, Crooks, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Milnes, Lewis, Storton, Parcell, King, Halton, Johnson, Hadley, Vete, Litten, Minchella, Keinhorst
Salford: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Ormondroyd, Bourouh, Gerrard, Watkins, Livett, Taylor, Addy, Escare, Dupree, Lannon.
KR tries: Coote (11, 15), Hall (22, 49), Ryan (63), Crooks (66, 75)
KR goals: Coote (7/7)
KR drop-goals: Coote (40)
Salford tries: Watkins (27), Cross, Burgess
Salford goals: Sneyd (2/3)
Referee: Tom Grant
Image credit: Steve McCormick
