THE Magic Weekend started with a bang as Salford Red Devils went up against Hull KR in the first game.
Rovers broke the deadlock on 11 minutes when Elliot Minchella finished under the posts following a great Matt Parcell break. Lachlan Coote converted for a 6-0 lead.
Salford hit back around the midway point in the first-half, however, Brodie Croft setting up Joe Burgess for a sensational score. Marc Sneyd converted, and, he was on target with a penalty moments later to send the Red Devils into an 8-6 lead.
George King restored KR’s lead with six minutes to go until the break, crashing over under the posts with Coote converting to make it 12-8, but Sneyd added a penalty on the stroke of half-time to reduce Rovers’ lead to just two at the break.
The Red Devils had a try chalked off at the start of the second-half, but Sneyd did level proceedings with a penalty on the hour to make it 12-12.
Dean Hadley was sent to the sinbin moments later after he hit Sneyd late, with the halfback converting another penalty to send Salford into a 14-12 lead.
Deon Cross was then sent to the sinbin for a high tackle on Lachlan Coote, who went off for a HIA. Rovers took advantage of that penalty when a last-tackle move ended with Ryan Hall flying in at the corner. With Coote off the field, Mikey Lewis took over the kicking duties and hit the post.
With Rovers leading 16-14 going into the final 15 minutes, Salford didn’t panic and a superb Ryan Brierley break laid the platform for Ken Sio to send the Red Devils back into the lead. Sneyd converted to make it 20-16.
And with Brierley and Croft linking up once again down the middle, Chris Atkin crossed under the posts. Sneyd extended Salford’s lead to 26-16 with five minutes to go for the last score of the game.
Salford Red Devils
1 Ryan Brierley
2 Ken Sio
28 Deon Cross
4 Tim Lafai
5 Joe Burgess
6 Brodie Croft
7 Marc Sneyd
16 Tyler Dupree
14 Chris Atkin
10 King Vuniyayawa
3 Kallum Watkins
12 Sam Stone
13 Oliver Partington
Substitutes
8 Jack Ormondroyd
19 Adam Sidlow
21 Amir Bourouh
25 Ben Hellewell
Tries: Burgess, Sio, Atkin
Goals: Sneyd 6/6
Sinbin: Cross (64) – high tackle
Hull KR
1 Lachlan Coote
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
3 Tom Opacic
33 Corey Hall
5 Ryan Hall
14 Jez Litten
20 Mikey Lewis
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Matt Parcell
22 Dean Hadley
16 James Batchelor
12 Kane Linnett
13 Elliot Minchella
Subsitutes
10 George King
17 Matty Storton
24 Sam Wood
26 Sam Luckley
Tries: Minchella, King, R Hall
Goals: Coote 2/2, Lewis 0/1
Sinbin: Hadley (62) – late tackle
Half-time: 10-12
Referee: Chris Kendall
