Super League: Salford Red Devils 34-8 Leigh Centurions
- Published
James Greenwood scored Salford's solitary first-half try against Leigh
Betfred Super League |
|---|
Salford (6) 34 |
Tries: Greenwood, Brown 2, Sio, Atkin, Livett Goals: Inu 5 |
Leigh (8) 8 |
Tries: Russell, Thornley |
Salford beat fellow strugglers Leigh in an error-strewn game to record their first win of the Super League campaign.
Matty Russell and Iain Thornley crossed to give Leigh an 8-6 lead at half-time, with Krisnan Inu converting James Greenwood's try in reply.
Salford went back ahead through Kevin Brown before Ken Sio's breakaway effort stretched their lead to 10 points.
The hosts finished strongly as Brown bagged his second before Chris Atkin and Harvey Livett got in on the act.
Leigh were marginally the better side in a first half of scant quality at the AJ Bell Stadium, but Ben Reynolds was unable to add the extras to their two tries.
The game appeared in the balance at 12-8 to Salford, but Sio raced the length of the field on 61 minutes to give the hosts breathing space.
Brown and Tui Lolohea then started to dictate play in a vastly improved second-half display by the Red Devils, and Livett had a hand in two late scores before adding his side's sixth try.
Leigh, who are back in Super League after a three-year absence, remain without a point after a fourth successive defeat.
Salford Red Devils head coach Richard Marshall told BBC Radio Manchester:
"I think we could have done it a little bit easier but we needed to get into the grind and arm wrestle and come out of the other side.
"We needed to put a performance together, compete and I thought we ticked all of those boxes today.
"There's a lot of improvement in this team. We are making fundamental errors but we had the resilience and toughness to come through the other side."
Leigh Centurions boss John Duffy:
"It's so frustrating. It was a great first half but then we didn't compete in the second half like we wanted to.
"The game is 80 minutes and there were 40 minutes there where we could and should have done better.
"We can take loads out of the first half but it is disappointing coming in at the end like that. I think our heads went and we gave up.
"It is a massive challenge for us to sort that mentality out. We have got to come out of the trenches fighting when we go behind."
Salford Red Devils: Kear, Sio, Inu, Costello, Williams, Lolohea, Brown, Mossop (capt), Patton, Ikahihifo, Livett, Roberts, Wells.
Interchanges: Greenwood, Lussick, Atkin, Burke.
Leigh Centurions: Mullen, Russell, Gelling, Thornley, Brand, Reynolds, Brierley, Bell, Hellewell, Thompson, Flower, Hood, McCarthy.
Interchanges: Ioane, Gerrard, Gee, Peats.
Referee: James Child.
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