A critical round twenty game for both sides saw sixth placed Salford Red Devils hosted a Leeds Rhinos side who sit in seventh place and who know that their task of achieving a top six position, and a play-off place would look almost impossible should they lose this encounter, a result which would see Salford into fourth.
Salford were the slight favourites for the win with the bookies but with the Rhinos only being given a two-point start on the handicap coupon there was clearly very little to choose between the two sides with the ‘Brad Arthur factor’ still to be determined.
It was ‘make or break’ time for both sides, the scene was set for a corker of a game.
Salford’s intent was there from the second minute when Tim Lafai clattered Lachlan Miller as he took a high kick, the Salford man being shown a yellow card for shoulder to the head with mitigation. Within second the Rhinos were in for the opening try of the game with Matt Frawley darting through a gap in a re-organising Salford defence to cross from twenty metres out. Rhyse Martin added the extras.
On eight minutes the Rhinos got their second Brodie Croft and Momirovski combined to put Alfie Edgell free down the right side to cross. Martin hit the mark again, the home side and their supporters stunned, the travelling Leeds fans pinching themselves to ensure they weren’t dreaming.
On fourteen Martin was sin-binned for lifting in a tackle on Jayden Nikorima and with Leeds a man down the Red Devils softened the Rhinos up with slick passing moves before a deft pass from Oliver Partington found Kallum Watkins who hit the Leeds line at speed and went in for the first Salford score of the afternoon. Marc Sneyd added the conversion, the Rhinos lead down to six.
In twenty-three the old local favourite Brodie Croft took a Miller pass and shrugged off a tackle in midfield before running the angle for thirty metres to the right corner for Leeds third try. With Martin on still absent from the field Miller was unable to add the conversion.
Mark Sneyd was denied a try by great last ditch tackling on thirty but two minutes later, and after a high tackle from Martin, Partington found Watkins for a carbon copy second try of the game. Sneyd was on target again, Leeds now just four points up.
In the dying seconds of the half Nene Macdonald rose to take a Sneyd cross-field kick, drop to the ground and crawl to the line to ground, but the video referee saw that Leeds had affected the tackle and a double movement was called by the video referee. Leeds breathing a sigh of relief as the half time hooter sounded and they maintained their lead.
The Red Devils onslaught came at the start of the second half, but Leeds managed to defend their line until the fifty-third minute after Jayden Nikorima break and outside pass to Joe Mellor who ran twenty metres to score without a Leeds hand laid upon him. Sneyd added the conversion to edge his side into the lead at 18-16.
On sixty-one Martin, who seemed to have had trouble keeping his tackles low all afternoon, hit Sneyd high under the sticks, the Salford man kicking the penalty to double the lead to four points.
Repeated high tackles from Leeds finally wore out the referee’s patience and it was James Bentley who hit Joe Shorrocks high and saw yellow. Sneyd accepted the opportunity to kick another goal, this one from almost fifty metres, to extend the lead to a converted try.
Salford withstood good Leeds pressure until Frawley spilled the ball and eased the pressure. As Salford advanced downfield Joe Shorrocks attempted a drop goal but the ball went horribly wide.
A seventy-sixth minute Sneyd 40-20 engineered position but an attempted Sneyd drop goal was wide of the mark.
Leeds couldn’t fins a way through in the dying seconds, the panic rugby illustrating their disappointing season as the final hooter sounded.
A tremendous second half performance from Salford ensure the win which almost seals their top six place and confines the Rhinos to end their disappointing season outside the play-off places. Salford are back into fourth spot, above St Helens and the Catalans Dragons by two points. Leeds started the game brilliantly but couldn’t sustain their effort and paid the price for indiscipline as Salford took full advantage.
Salford Red Devils: Brierley, Ryan, Macdonald, Lafai (SB on 3), Cross, Nikorima, Sneyd (5/5 G), Singleton, Shorrocks, Lewis, Stone, Watkins (2T), Partington. Subs: Wright, Hankinson, Mellor (T), Bullock. 18th Man: Wilson.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Edgell (T), Momirovski, Newman, Handley, Croft (T), Frawley (T), Oledzki, Ackers, Sangare, McDonnell, Martin (2/2 G, SB on 14), Smith. Subs: O’Connor, Donaldson, Lisone, Bentley (SB on 65). 18th Man: Goudemand.
Half-Time: 12-16.
Full-Time: 22-16.
Score Progression: (SB), 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, (SB), 4-12, 6-12, 6-16, 10-16, 12-16 : HT: 16-16, 18-16, 20-16, (SB), 22-16 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Leeds – Square - Salford.
Referee: Tom Grant.
