DEVILS END CAS RUN

Salford 23 Castleford 16                               Match Report – David Clegg

With their best overall performance of the season, Salford Red Devils brought this season’s surprise package, Castleford’s unbeaten run to an end.  From the outset the Red Devils were clearly in a more determined mood than anything we have seen since the early stages of the opening fixture against Wakefield, and this showed itself through a similarly more effective performance throughout the game, particularly on attack.

They certainly asked more questions of the Castleford defence than has hitherto been the case.  Not that they always got the answers right themselves, with one or two timing issues among other things still yet to be improve upon, but they neverthelessrangi_chase managed to outscore the team which has seen off, among others, Wigan, Hull and Hull KR. 

The return of stand-off, Rangi Chase (pictured right) provided a much greater array of attacking options, and on the occasions when the timings and everything else went right the whole side looked clinical, exciting and effective, as witnessed in the tries they carved out with seemingly consummate ease.  The right flank of Gleeson and Johnson, in particular, always looked threatening and it is no coincidence that the first two tries came through them  following some classy handling across the field, which prised open the Castleford defence for the scores.

They were helped to no small extent by some significant Castleford indiscipline, with four consecutive penalties going Salford’s way in the opening ten minutes.  Indeed, the opening try on five mins, to Martin Gleeson, came on the back of two penalties sandwiched around a restarting of the tackle count, which gave the Devils the opportunity to apply some sustained pressure.  Similarly, the fifth penalty of the afternoon again laid the platform for an excellent expansive attack which swept from left to right across the field, and Mullaney’s immaculately delayed pass proved to be the decisive catalyst in getting Greg Johnson in at the corner.

andrew_dixonTwo tries to hard working, Andrew Dixon (pictured left), in the second half, also showed how the Red Devils are beginning to read one another.  Rangi Chase’s timing of his pass to Dixon, following a great charge towards the posts by skipper Adrian Morley to set the platform, put the young second rower  through the gap for the first.  Castleford’s reduction to twelve men for a ten minute period was exploited by Tony Puletua’s drive to for him to offload to the supporting Dixon for his second.  Jake Mullaney was successful with all but his first conversion attempt.

That the home defence was breached on only three occasions is testament to the week on week improvement this is showing, but I am sure that there will be some questions asked about the build up to Hauraki’s try, which came as a result of a number of players turning their back on play at the restart from a Castleford penalty.  Clarke took advantage and the visitors exploited the situation to the full.  That score was quite significant as it then inspired the Tigers to continue to press and Luke Dorn, split the defence to score close to the posts, on 68 mins, to make it a six point ball game, Justin Carney having crossed midway through the first half for their opening score.   

Man of the Match, Rangi Chase however, eased everyone’s nerves with a timely drop goal, three minutes later, which made the significant, late Castleford pressure merely a token effort, which the Devils had the poise and assurance to repel.