A spirited Salford Red Devils were beaten by Catalans Dragons in Round 8 of the Betfred Super League.
Head Coach, Paul Rowley handed a 300th career appearance to hooker, Joe Mellor, which subsequently brought up Super League appearance number 200.
With thunderstorms hitting the South of France just hours before kick-off, the Stade Gilbert Brutus may have felt more like home than usual, but it was a slow start that cost the Reds dearly.
Tommy Makinson scored his first for the Dragons after his move from St Helens; Luke Keary chipped the ball into the corner for the winger to acrobatically claim and dot down.
One quickly became two when Tariq Sims broke the challenge of Jayden Nikorima to get back on his feet and slide over, just to the left of the sticks.
It was a GLDO that piled the next bit of pressure on our line. Following a strong carry, a scrambled Salford defence failed to deny Julian Bousquet from the next drive.
The Reds had to regroup and find a way back into the contest, with Mellor the catalyst, pouncing on a loose Catalans offload.
Nikorima, who was a running threat all evening, poked his nose through the line and flicked a basketball-esque pass just too high for the supporting Ryan Brierley to gather.
A few repeat sets on the Dragons line caused a build-up of pressure. A moment of genius almost came from Mellor, who scooted from our last play, catching Catalans cold, but his grubber was too strong for him to chase.
It was perhaps another slow start to the half in the second period that took the contest away from Salford. An error handed Catalans a full set just 20 away and a strong drive from Chris Satae broke the line to slide over.
Just when the Reds were starting to gain territory and build pressure, halfback, Keary broke the line and sprinted 70 metres to put the hosts in a prime position to strike.
Nikorima was forced to concede another six with Catalans working the numbers, but Makinson made no mistake from the scrum when he bundled past Jonny Vaughan to score his second.
Catalans’ next score came when Paul Seguier drew the Salford defender in and sent back-rower, Matthieu Laguerre through the line to slam down.
Back on familiar soil, Tiaki Chan was certainly Salford’s standout, particularly in his second stint, and a barnstorming run through the middle created a big opportunity. The French international found Ben Hellewell, who in turn flicked a ball to Jake Thewlis, who in turn played an inside pass for Vaughan to score.
Chan went from creator to scorer with three minutes to go, crashing onto Mellor’s short ball to cut back inside and score.
The last word, however, went to the hosts, with Makinson completing his hat-trick in familiar fashion to how he grabbed his first – picking a Keary chip out of the air to dot down.
Next up for the Red Devils is the visit of Leigh Leopards in Round 9, next Saturday.
MATCH FACTS:
Salford XIII: Ryan Brierley, Nathan Connell, Esan Marsters, Jonny Vaughan, Jake Thewlis, Jayden Nikorima, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormondroyd, Joe Mellor, Tiaki Chan, Ben Hellewell, Matty Foster, Harvey Wilson.
Interchanges: Justin Sangare, George Hill, Harvey Makin, Joe Shorrocks.
Tries: Jonny Vaughan, Tiaki Chan.
Conversions: Ryan Brierley (1/2)
Catalans XIII: Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, Tommy Makinson, Matthieu Laguerre, Reimis Smith, Leo Darrelatour, Luke Keary, Theo Fages, Tevita Pangai Jnr, Ben Garcia, Julian Bousquet, Tariq Sims, Bayley Sironen, Ollie Partington.
Interchanges: Alrix Da Costa, Chris Satee, Romain Navarrete, Paul Seguier.
Tries: Tommy Makinson (3), Tariq Sims, Julian Bousquet, Chris Satae, Matthieu Laguerre.
Conversions: Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet (5/7)
HT: 16-0
FT: 38-10
