SALFORD RED DEVILS registered an impressive 42-10 win over Castleford Tigers at The Jungle tonight.
Paul Rowley’s men were in irrepressible form with the likes of Tim Lafai and Marc Sneyd running rings around their opponents.
And it’s fair to say that Rowley was impressed.
“The result was the main thing to get such a convincing win is how far we have come in the last 18 months,” Rowley said.
“I don’t think we were at our absolute best but I felt we were in control. There were some real good moments in defence and attack and I felt we had a little bit more in the tank.
“I thought our character and approach to the game was really good. It was a fitting tribute for Kallum Watkins’ 350th career game, I thought it was a really professional display.”
Rowley pinpointed the early moments in the game – when Castleford had three repeat sets – as the key to giving his side confidence.
“We had early pressure to defend and I said that will do them more harm than it will us, they got repeat sets. It did more for us in terms of confidence. We have got some good players who in moments are pretty good and precise in how they do their business.
“To be able to take Ryan (Brierley) off and move Chris Atkin from hooker to fullback is a luxury to have.”
Brierley did leave the field early with a knee injury, but Rowley doesn’t have any concern.
“He hyperextended his knee tackling Muizz Mustapha. He took a strong carry, and as Ryan has done all year, he put his body on the line and folded a bit. If he had to, he would have carried on but he will be fine.
“Kallum had no problems we gave him a rest, Sneydy (Marc Sneyd) started cramping a little bit. It was a bit of a luxury there, it would have been nice to get Crofty (Brodie Croft) off as well but we ran out of subs!”
