Warrington Wolves hit 30 unanswered second half points to secure an epic 36-20 comeback win against Salford Red Devils and maintain their unbeaten start in the Betfred Super League.
Salford were incredible in the first half and caught the Wire cold, as the home side couldn’t deal with the relentless energy and power of the Red Devils. But from 20-6 down at half-time, Warrington put in a phenomenal second half display that featured five tries and a key Salford yellow card that turned the scoreboard in the hosts’ favour.
Ryan Brierley had a huge role to play, at both ends. He scored one of the tries of the season so far as he raced the length of the pitch to put Salford ahead in the first half - before being shown a yellow card for holding down in the second half that saw his Red Devils fall apart.
READ MORE:
- Rugby league weekly
- The Sportsman to show Fev-Fax in Betfred Challenge Cup
- Betfred Super League Round 3 markets*
The Wire came under huge pressure at the start but then a clever kick from George Williams sent through Ben Currie and he managed to ground the ball under pressure. Stefan Ratchford converted to stick Warrington 6-0 up
However Ellis Longstaff against his parent club, on his debut for the Red Devils crossed after Joe Burgess burst through on the wing and fed him on the inside. He hasn’t been given much of a chance at the Halliwell Jones Stadium having been sent on loan to Hull FC last term, but he returned to haunt his parent club with an immediate leveler.
Then, Salford scored the most remarkable try. Warrington looked set to score their second try of the night, but the final pass was intercepted by Ken Sio, who saved the ball from a knock on and then fed Brierley, who had the legs to run the length of the pitch. It was a simply wonderful try, and a try that saw Salford take a 12-6 lead.
The Red Devils were running riot and Marc Sneyd sliced straight through the Warrington back line and crossed with ease. Questions had to be asked of the Wire’s defence that just let him slip through, as the Salford fans celebrated again. They went in at the break 20-6 in front having been 6-0 down, and it was a remarkable and well-earned turnaround from this spirited and entertaining side.
Paul Rowley will have been delighted with that display, while Daryl Powell took the time to motivate his troops for the second 40. Whatever was said at half-time in the home dressing room had an instant impact. They put the pressure on in the opening minutes and Matty Ashton found a yard of space on the left wing, before landing a stunning diving finish as his legs were pushed out of play in the air.
The conversion was missed by Ratchford but Warrington were back in it with the score at 10-20. After ten minutes of Wire pressure Salford came out fighting. However, their fighting spirit crossed the line as Brierley was shown a yellow card for holding down Drinkwater, just when his side couldn’t afford to lose a player.
Warrington took full advantage. Thomas Mikaele bundled his way through and forced the ball over the line to send the home crowd wild and bring Wolves within four points of their opponents. Minutes later they looked certain to score when they broke through but Matt Dufty somehow dropped a clean pass when under no pressure and clean through.
But they would make the breakthrough in emphatic fashion. A kick was sent out to the right wing where Thewlis was left free as a bird to catch and convert, and after he had done so, slid into him with his knees which resulted in foul play and an eight point try. However, Ratchford thumped his first kick against the post, before converting the second to give Warrington a 22-20 lead.
Brierley’s yellow cost his side massively and by the time he came back on, his side were even further behind. George Williams burst through with 12 minutes to play to score his first try of the season and compound Salford’s misery. After such a bright first 40 they had been taken apart, while Warrington had finally turned up to the party in the second half.
Matt Dufty added another one late on to add some gloss to the scoreline, and Warrington were handed another eight point try as he was clipped in the face as he crossed the line. Ratchford this time made no mistake to make the score far more handsome that it otherwise would have been.
But with 30 unanswered points in the second half, Warrington have made it three from three. It was tough, but they passed their toughest test so far with flying colours.
*18+ | Be Gamble Aware
