Catalans Dragons take an early lead, only for Salford to roar back at the AJ Bell Stadium; Red Devils now two points behind sixth-placed Hull FC in Super League
Sunday 17 July 2022 19:44, UK
Ken Sio scored a hat-trick to lead the Salford Red Devils to a 32-6 win over Catalans Dragons at the AJ Bell Stadium.
The Red Devils' impressive showing kept alive their prospects of a top-six finish in the Super League this season.
Catalans took an early lead with Joe Chan scoring a try in the eighth minute, but that was as good as it got for them as Paul Rowley's men then scored 32 points without reply, extinguishing Catalans' hopes of a win that would have moved them back up to third in the table.
Salford stand-off Brodie Croft capped a superb performance with a second-half try while his half-back partner Marc Sneyd kicked six goals from seven attempts. Jack Ormondroyd also crossed for the home side.
Defensively, the Red Devils were outstanding in oppressive heat, especially at the start of the second half when they survived eight minutes without the ball despite conceding two penalties and a 'six again' call.
In-form winger Joe Burgess was back in the starting line-up for the hosts, replacing Rhys Williams, and he made two crucial tackles on his opposite number Matthieu Laguerre.
Chan was a very early replacement for the injured Matt Whitley for Catalans and scored with his first touch of the game, chasing down a grubber kick by Sam Tomkins - whose conversion gave his side a 6-0 lead.
Salford replied in the 24th minute when Sneyd and Croft combined to send winger Sio diving in at the corner for his 150th career try. Sneyd was unable to convert from the touchline.
The Red Devils put themselves under pressure straight from the restart as the ball was allowed to go dead from the kick-off. However, a superb tackle from Burgess denied Laguerre as he seemed destined to score in the corner.
With five minutes of the first half remaining, the home side took the lead for the first time. Once again, the ball was moved to the right edge and Ryan Brierley's delicate kick to the corner was well judged by Sio who pounced for his second. Sneyd this time made no mistake with the conversion and also added a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Catalans enjoyed an intense spell of pressure near the Salford line at the start of the second half but they were frustrated by some determined defence.
Laguerre had the best opportunity but was barged into touch by another superb tackle by Burgess.
Salford punished Catalans for their wastefulness in the 56th minute. Hooker Andy Ackers made a superb break through the first line of Catalans defenders and sent Croft racing 30 metres to score under the posts. Sneyd's conversion made it 18-6 and he added his second penalty minutes later.
With 13 minutes remaining, Sio completed his hat-trick with a flying finish in the corner before Salford completed the scoring in the 73rd minute when Brierley broke clear and his pass found prop Ormondroyd racing up in support to score under the sticks.
