SALFORD RED DEVILS 12
WARRINGTON WOLVES 24
KASEY SMITH, Salford Community Stadium, Friday
WARRINGTON were given one almighty scare as they eventually got the better of rock-bottom Salford Red Devils who showed plenty of fight.
The Wolves dug deep last week to keep their play-off hopes alive, and this match was seen as a banker. They were against a team that had conceded on average over 40 points per game, let’s not forget.
It is easy to dismiss this Salford side – just one win to their name and a season marred by off-field turmoil. But a glance at the team sheet reveals a squad full of quality. And there were flashes of the Salford of old as they gave Warrington a real run for their money.
When Warrington went ahead within the first five minutes, it looked like they may have been on for a big win. But after that bright start, it was the Red Devils who brought the fight, showed real hunger, and found a spark in the final third.
Salford actually took the lead on the half-hour mark for only the second time this year, courtesy of a second penalty from Hankinson, who punished the dumbstruck Warrington.
When the Wolves finally got their act together, they exposed the cracks in the Salford side, but they should have made it a lot easier than this.
The Wolves struck early on through Matt Dufty, who sliced through a gaping hole in the middle of the field to score under the posts, finishing from a sublime reverse pass from George Williams.
But the floodgates remained shut. There was no implosion as the Red Devils rallied. Initially, the Wolves held strong, defending several crucial sets on their line. But Salford’s relentless pressure kept mounting.
Chris Hill was dangerous, always looking for an offload. And Danny Richardson in the halves injected an added enthusiasm.
The fired up Red Devils, having probed, struck through Ethan Ryan. And it came as Josh Thewlis was carrying the ball out of his back line. With the ball ripped from his grasp, Richardson sprung into action and spotted an opening to release Ryan on the wing for the score.
The Wolves struggled to match Salford’s enthusiasm and the Red Devils added four more points, all through the boot of Chris Hankinson, with frustration setting in for Warrington.
At last, Warrington sprung to life, reclaiming the lead just before half-time as James Harrison surged 20 metres to crash over the line with power and determination.
Another swinging arm allowed Hankinson to score a third penalty, shortly after the break and Salford kept on disrupting Warrington whose frustration was mounting evermore.
Another penalty was conceded and another two points was added to Salford’s scoreboard as they levelled the game.
Ben Currie almost sparked a Warrington response with a brilliant line break, throwing a dummy to open the space – but on the very next play, George Williams’ wide pass flew behind his runners and well into touch.
Moments later, the Wolves forced a drop-out with Warrington, belatedly, putting Salford under pressure. Dufty, on a jinking run, went close but was just denied.
Salford finally caved and it was Dufty at the heart of it. It was his perfect grubber which allowed Josh Thewlis to dive over in the corner just after the hour mark.
The Red Devils thought they had levelled when Esan Marsters pounced when Thewlis spilled a high Richardson kick. Luckily for Warrington, the try was ruled out because Thewlis had been tackled while his feet were still off the ground.
Warrington extended their lead with a Marc Sneyd penalty in the final quarter, giving them some much-needed breathing room with them struggling to kill off the Red Devils.
Stefan Ratchford finally sealed the win for Warrington, pouncing on a spilled ball from a high kick behind the posts as the Wolves breathed a huge sigh of relief.
GAMESTAR: Chris Hill carried hard and Warrington found it difficult to deal with the England international.
GAMEBREAKER: Josh Thewlis’ try on the hour mark proved to be the killer blow.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: A huge hit from Cain Robb as Warrington tried to break from their own line sent a roar reverberating around the Salford Community Stadium, perfectly capturing the team’s fighting spirit.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Chris Hill (Salford Red Devils)
2 pts Matt Dufty (Warrington Wolves)
1 pt Danny Richardson (Salford Red Devils)
MATCHFACTS
RED DEVILS
1 Ryan Brierley
2 Ethan Ryan
23 Chris Hankinson
17 Esan Marsters
28 Nathan Connell
6 Jayden Nikorima
56 Danny Richardson
18 Jack Ormondroyd
54 Cain Robb
10 Chris Hill
52 Dan Russell
50 Toby Warren
13 Joe Shorrocks
Subs (all used)
19 Justin Sangare
24 Harvey Wilson
29 Charlie Glover
30 Tiaki Chan
18th man (not used)
27 Kai Morgan
Also in 21-man squad
20 Joe Bullock
22 Matty Foster
43 Finlay Yates
Tries: Ryan (23),
Goals: Hankinson 4/5
Sin bin: Brierley (78) – persistent fouling
WOLVES
1 Matt Dufty
2 Josh Thewlis
4 Rodrick Tai
20 Connor Wrench
28 Jake Thewlis
6 George Williams
35 Marc Sneyd
10 Paul Vaughan
17 Jordy Crowther
13 Luke Yates
38 Sam Stone
12 Lachlan Fitzgibbon
11 Ben Currie
Subs (all used)
3 Toby King
8 James Harrison
19 Stefan Ratchford
15 Joe Philbin
18th man (not used)
27 Luke Thomas
Also in 21-man squad
14 Sam Powell
24 Max Wood
Tom McKinney
Tries: Dufty (8), Harrison (34), Thewlis (61), Ratchford (73)
Goals: Sneyd 4/5
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 4-6, 6-6, 8-6, 8-12; 10-12, 12-12, 12-16, 12-18, 12-24.
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Red Devils: Chris Hill; Wolves: Matt Dufty
Penalty count: 7-8
Half-time: 8-12
Referee: Liam Rush