Hull FC 48-16 Salford Red Devils: Black & Whites condemn visitors to first defeat of Super League season
Cameron Scott and Jordan Lane grabbed two tries each as Hull FC stormed to victory over the Red Devils at the MKM Stadium on Saturday; Darnell McIntosh, Joe Lovodua, Jake Connor, Josh Reynolds and Chris Satae also scored tries
Last Updated: 26/02/22 6:20pm
Two tries apiece from Cameron Scott and Jordan Lane helped Hull FC condemn Salford Red Devils to their first defeat of the Super League season.
Centre Scott scored two first-half tries to put the Black and Whites on top, and loose forward Lane touched down twice in four minutes after the break as Brett Hodgson's men eased to a 48-16 victory.
Lane's quickfire double came while former Hull FC half-back Marc Sneyd was in the sin-bin for a late challenge on full-back Jake Connor, who also touched down as Hull racked up 16 unanswered points against their 12-man opponents.
Connor demonstrated some sublime skills on his return from suspension as Hull brushed aside the loss of their captain Luke Gale to bounce back in style from their heavy home defeat by St Helens.
For Salford, this was a rude awakening after they began the season impressively with wins over Castleford and Toulouse, yet there was little to choose between the teams in the opening stages.
Salford's leading scorer Ken Sio went close to touching down Sneyd's kick to the corner and left-winger Joe Burgess was held up on his back after reaching the line.
Hull lost McNamara after 11 minutes and right-winger Darnell McIntosh was inches away from opening the scoring following the first incisive touch from Connor.
Team news
Ben McNamara made his first appearance of the season for Hull FC in place of Luke Gale, who began a five-match ban. Jake Connor was also back in the team after completing a suspension.
Salford included Marc Sneyd, who was making his first appearance against Hull FC since moving to the Red Devils during the off-season.
Not to be denied, however, McIntosh touched down the full-back's pinpoint grubber kick to the corner in the 13th minute and four minutes later Scott took Connor's pass to slip through a gap in the Red Devils defence for his first try.
Connor added the conversion and Scott grabbed his second try on 24 minutes, cleverly chipping over the Salford defence and comfortably winning the race to touch down.
The final pass came from McNamara, who was just back on the field after undergoing running repairs, and the game got even better for Hull two minutes later when Fijiian hooker Joe Lovodua, proving a revelation in the second row, stretched out of a tackle to score his side's fourth try.
Connor's second goal made it 20-0 but Salford grabbed a lifeline seven minutes before half-time when impressive centre Tim Lafai outjumped Connor to touch down Sneyd's high kick and the former Hull man kicked the conversion.
Hull FC 48-16 Salford Red Devils scoring summary
Hull FC: Tries - Cameron Scott (2), Jordan Lane (2), Darnell McIntosh, Joe Lovodua, Jake Connor, Josh Reynolds, Chris Satae; Goals - Darnell McIntosh (4), Jake Connor (2)
Salford Red Devils - Tim Lafai (2), Ken Sio; Goals - Marc Sneyd (2)
Scott hobbled off just before the interval but Hull were well in control even before Sneyd was given a yellow card for what looked to be a rash challenge on Connor.
Two minutes later Connor forced his way over for a deserved try and Lane's double piled on the misery for Sneyd as he watched on from the sidelines.
Stand-off Josh Reynolds added another try, re-gathering his own kick that eluded full-back Ryan Brierley, as Hull piled on the points.
The visitors gained some consolation when Sio went over for his sixth try of the season, but Hull added a ninth try when prop Chris Satae charged over and McIntosh kicked his fourth conversion before Lafai grabbed his second try for Salford.
What they said
Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson
"I'm pleased with the performance today. A number of players stood up, I thought our pack was immense.
"The response from last week was much better than the responses we had last year so that shows some progression."
Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley
"I don't think there was a lack of desire or effort but certainly [we were] off in our detail in attack. We got spooked by a team who completed really high.
"I'm disappointed because we came here with massive belief. I guess it was our first test of a grind against a team that was highly motivated."
What's next?
Hull FC face a trip to old head coach Lee Radford's side Castleford Tigers on Sunday, March 6 (3.30pm kick-off), with the hosts still searching for their first win of the season.
Salford are in action on the same day and they also face their old boss in Ian Watson when they head to Huddersfield Giants (3pm)
