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SALFORD RED DEVILS  26 SWINTON LIONS  22

30 January 2023

IAN RIGG A.J.Bell Stadium, Sunday

The Red Devils retained the Peter Smethurst Memorial Trophy with a strong first half performance against the Lions who completed a three match warm up run ahead of their season opener against Newcastle Thunder next week. The home side used a total of thirty-seven players in the match and the Lions fielded twenty-one so everyone got minutes on the field. Salford took the lead after just three minutes when the Lions lost the ball in their own twenty and Tim Lafai found Rhys Williams who went over in the left corner and Marc Sneyd added the conversion off the touchline. Six minutes later they were in again when a good passing movement after a penalty saw Ken Sio go over on the right but this time no conversion. Try of the match came on fourteen minutes when Brodie Croft made a nice break down centre field and he drew the Lions fullback before offloading to Andy Ackers and he scored under the posts with Sneyd converting. Sneyd set up the next try when he intercepted a Lions pass in his own half to break but was tackled twenty metres short but from the play the ball he found Ellis Longstaff and he scored on the right with a good conversion again from Sneyd. The fifth try came four minutes from the break after some good passing and Ryan Brierley crossed on the right but not convert his own try.

Salford made ten changes at the break just leaving Andy Ackers, Matty Costello and Amir Bourah on the field from the first half and it was the Lions who took control in the second half but after a slow start the scored their opener after fifty minutes when Joe Lowe darted over from close range and Dan Abram added the conversion. Jack Stevens crossed for Salford five minutes later but was brought back for a forward pass and the chance went. Anthony Dyne added the second Lions try after sixty-six minutes after a good break by Mike Butt and Nick Gregson was unable to convert. As the game progressed the Lions got stronger and added a third try six minutes from time when Gavin Bennion crashed over under the posts with Gregson converting. Four minutes later they were in again after some good play by Rhodri Lloyd and Gregson that saw Joey Romeo go over on the left and Gregson again converted. The Lions could have snatched victory in the final minute when Josh Eaves broke through on thirty metres but there was an obstruction in the build-up. Lions coach Allan Coleman was happy to keep his defence intact in the second half and Paul Rowley would also have been happy keeping the Lions scoreless in the first half.

MATCHFACTS

RED DEVILS

  1 Ryan Brierley

  2 Ken Sio

28 Deon Cross

  4 Tim Lafai

22 Rhys Williams

  6 Brodie Croft

  7 Marc Sneyd

18 Alex Gerrard

  9 Andy Ackers

16 Tyler Dupree

11 Andrew Dixon

20 Ellis Longstaff

17 Shane Wright

Subs (all used)

  8 Jack Ormondroyd

10 King Vuniyawa

13 Ollie Partington

14 Chris Atkin

21 Amir Bourouh

24 Matt Costello

26 James Greenwood

30 Billy Walkley

31 Nathan Connell

29 Joseph Coope-Franklin

32 Mason Phillips

  5 Nathan Taylor

23 Jack Stevens

19 Toby Hughes

37 Jordan Brown

40 Fin Yates

38 Chris Worrall

36 Jacob Lee

35 Matt Unsworth

34 Rhys Davies

25 Henry Davies

33 Matt Rudd

27 Euan Haynes

39 Alex Davidson

Tries: Williams (3), Sio (9), Ackers (14), Longstaff (23), Brierley (36)

Goals: Sneyd  3/4

Brierley 0/1

LIONS

  1 Dan Abram

28 Callum Hughes

22 Andy Badrock

26 Joey Romeo

  5 Mike Butt

19 Ollie Olds

  7 Jordy Gibson

10 Kenny Baker

14 Josh Eaves

  8 Gavin Bennion

11 Rhodri Lloyd

12 Mitch Cox

13 Louis Brogan

Subs: (all used)

23 Joe Lowe

  6 Nick Gregson

29 Anthony Dyne

  9 Luke Waterworth

15 Jordan Case

20 Morgan Burgess

18 Liam Cooper

16 Gav Rodden

Tries: Lowe (50), Dyne (66), Bennion (74), Romeo (78)

Goals: Abram 1/1

Gregson 2/3

Penalty Count: 5-6 Half-time: 26-0

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas Attendance: 1807

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0,10-0,16-0,22-0,26-0,26-6,26-10,26-16,26-22

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