A 36-12 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers on Friday evening opened Salford’s account for the 2018 Betfred Super League season and we take a look at three talking points from the game.
Multiple standout performers
It’s difficult to pick one standout performer for the Red Devils from Friday’s victory over Hull KR. Junior Sa’u was awarded the Man of the Match for his tough defensive efforts combined with a crucial try but there were over a handful of Salford players who shone.
Young hooker Josh Wood was once again impressive with his speed and decision making around the ruck and looks to be settling into a regular first team role with ease. Gareth O’Brien was a constant threat coming into the attacking line from full-back while Niall Evalds crossed for a brace.
All the Red Devils forwards put on a good showing and completely dominated the KR pack.
Defensive effort
A fortnight ago we hailed Salford’s defence against Wakefield and this weekend the defence was just as impressive again conceding just twice.
Hull KR were extremely impressive down the middle against Catalans Dragons in their last outing however the likes of Lama Tasi, Lee Mossop and Tyrone McCarthy were just too solid in defence for the Robins to break down.
Out wide the Red Devils were equally as tough to break down with Junior Sa’u and Kris Welham standing up strong every time the ball came their way.
Resilience
While the Red Devils sealed a comfortable victory over the Robins it may have been forgotten that Ian Watson’s men fell behind through a Thomas Minns try after just two minutes however this didn’t impact the final result.
Salford hit back almost immediately through Gareth O’Brien before then taking control of the game and never looking back.
This is a real indicator of the team’s resilience and determination to come away with the result after almost fighting back two weeks ago against Wakefield.
