Super League: Salford Red Devils 32-6 Catalans Dragons - Ken Sio hat-trick seals win

Ken Sio's first try was his 150th in an 11-year career, including time in Australia's NRL and Super League

Ken Sio's hat-trick helped Salford beat Catalans Dragons for the first time in four meetings as they superbly won 32-6 to move up to seventh in Super League.

Joe Chan's early try was cancelled out by two excellent Sio tries as the Red Devils overcame a difficult start to the first half.

Salford absorbed huge pressure early in the second half before Brodie Croft went over for their third try.

Sio got his third with 13 minutes left before Jack Ormondroyd's late try.

The defeat means Catalans missed the chance to go above Huddersfield into third in the Super League table, before the Giants' visit to Perpignan on Saturday.

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Chan drew first blood for Catalans after nine minutes with his first touch as he got on the end of Sam Tomkins' kick, but Salford missed chances to draw level as Tim Lafai and Croft knocked on in good positions soon after.

But the hosts did get on the board through Sio's 150th career try in the right corner, following an excellent pass from Mark Sneyd after 24 minutes.

Catalans thought they had gone ahead after half an hour, but Joe Burgess superbly knocked Matthieu Laguerre into touch when he looked certain to score, and five minutes later they were behind as Sio plucked Ryan Brierley's kick out of the air and touched down for his second before Sneyd kicked a penalty on the hooter.

Dragons started the second period well, forcing seven successive sets of six in front of the Red Devils' posts, but Salford defended superbly to keep Catalans out in the extreme summer heat.

And Catalans were left to rue the missed chance when hooker Andy Ackers' quick thinking and excellent pass found Croft at pace before he blasted in under the posts.

A second Sneyd penalty put Salford 14 points up with 20 minutes left, before Sio went in for his third after more good work by Brierley.

Brierley was again at the centre of the action as he plucked the ball out of the air, burst downfield and set prop Ormondroyd to go over from 20 metres with six minutes left to end the game with a superb fifth try for Salford.

Salford head coach Paul Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester:

"I say to the players a lot 'you can't be a mug on six days and a champion on the seventh', and they're not, they're champions all week.

"That is reflected in what they do on the pitch, and they've gone as a team and I think you saw the best example of culture and togetherness that there's been all year.

"We defended seven sets on our own try-line - our defence got called flimsy, lacking backbone and something else last night, but that didn't strike me today."

Catalans Dragons head coach Steve McNamara:

"We are a long way off where we want to be. In recent times we've had some good times and we are not what we want to be.

"As head coach, I need to find the answers pretty quickly. Our last two performances [against Warrington and Salford] on the back of a really good performance [against St Helens] is disappointing.

"But it's not one specific area where we are struggling, it's all parts of our game. We need to draw breath and get some answers and put things right pretty quickly."

Salford: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Lannon, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Watkins, Taylor, Gerrard.

Interchanges: Luckley, Hellewell, Atkin, Addy.

Catalans: Tomkins, Laguerre, Langi, Whare, Yaha, Pearce, Drinkwater, Seguier, Jullien, Whitley, Goudemand, Da Costa, Bousquet.

Interchanges: May, Le Cam, Chan, Kasiano.

Referee: Ben Thaler.

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