Salford Red Devils lost 6-32 in a physical and testing defeat to Leeds Rhinos this weekend despite taking an early lead.
The Red Devils who were playing their first league game of the season, with fans sharing their excitement with the club announcing they could field a full-strength squad.
Both teams were walking into the fixture looking to get back to winning ways, with the Red Devils losing a record defeat to St Helens, and Leeds Rhinos narrowly beaten by Wakefield.
For the Red Devils, the fixture would start positively with a performance from Happy Mondays, and an early try from Kallum Watkins and Marc Sneyd scoring to take the lead.
The fans would be treated with the quick passage of play which saw them take the lead within two minutes, however following the try the afternoon wouldn’t be as positive.
The physicality between the two sides would be tested, with Leeds Rhinos getting the better of the home side who were knocking on the door to open the scoring.
The Rhinos would however see themselves bounce-back into the fixture when Ryan Lumb was able to catch the lofted ball, and put it down to open Leeds scoring.
Unfortunately for Leeds, Jake Connor was unable to get the conversion which left the home side two points ahead – although this wouldn’t last long.
As in the 23rd minute of the game Salford Red Devils were unable to hold back the advancing Morgan Gannon – he was able to push through the defence and put the ball down for the lead.
And with a 6-10 advantage, the gap between the clubs would continue to grow as Ryan Lumb would score his second of the half down the left wing once again.
The game was paused in the 37th minute as Brodie Croft was hit by a high tackle that left him needing treatment on the pitch.
He was soon carried off on a stretcher and Matt Frawley came on in his place. Joe Shorrocks was handed a yellow card for the tackle, leaving Salford a man down.
But the Leeds Rhinos were able to extend their lead, when Connor took the penalty kick in front of the sticks to allow the Rhinos to go into half-time leading 16-6.
Leeds by 10 at the break.
🤝 @HurlstonesNorth & @hselec_ pic.twitter.com/lU9ZvYgvsr
— Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) February 22, 2025
However, the distance would continue to grow with Ash Handley, James Bentley and Ryan Hall all getting second half tries to seal the victory for the Rhinos.
Following the fixture Head Coach Paul Rowley shared his concerns for the teams lack of physicality against a travelling Leeds Rhinos side.
He said: “On the game, I thought we started very brightly, but as you’ve seen in all the games across Super League at the beginning of the season – in particular last night’s game between Warrington and Catalans – rucks are really slow.
“What that’s doing is contributing to a real war of attrition, physically, so you’ve got to win the physical battle.
“We’ve seen defences that are really dominant across Super League, they’ve been really tough and uncompromising.”
The Red Devils Head Coach shared that any side need two features to succeed early on in the season, as he continued: “One is completion at a high rate and the other is toughness in defence.
“I thought we started well, but after 20 minutes, I thought Leeds dominated both of them areas.”
He added: They completed high and they were physically dominant across the board, and absolutely deserved the manner of the victory they got.
“Like any big game, it’s the team who can do everything to a higher standard and a physically better standard for a long period of time. On today’s evidence that was Leeds and that’s the level we need to aspire to get too.”
Salford Red Devils will hope that they can turn their form around as they look ahead to next Thursday’s match against Hull KR at Craven Park.
Paul Rowley’s side will be looking for a win that hopefully lift them off the bottom of the league table – with more information about the next fixture here.
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