Saturday 26 April 2025

Betfred Super League Round 9

Salford Community Stadium (5:30pm)

Salford Red Devils 6-28 Leigh Leopards

Leopards’ sixth win of the Super League season was a low-key affair on a gloomy Saturday evening at the Salford Community Stadium.

Beleaguered Salford’s continuing financial problems cast a shadow over their future and made for a depressing atmosphere which both teams found hard to overcome.

The Leopards were far from their best but did enough to secure the two points with some comfort, temporarily moving up to second in the table..

AJ Towse came in on the right wing after Keanan Brand pulled out in the warm up and was one of Leopards’ try-scorers.

Andrew Badrock scored twice on the left edge and Darnell McIntosh, after Lachlan Lam’s superb grubber kick, also crossed as Leopards opened up a decisive  interval lead.

Salford lacked nothing in desire or effort and their efforts were rewarded with a Joe Shorrocks try. Their halfback Jayden Nikorima was outstanding and but for the excellence of Bailey Hodgson, easily Leopards’ star player, Salford would have had more tries.

Former Leopards favourite Joe Mellor was another Salford player to have a top game.

Matt Davis ploughed over but Leopards had to wait until the dying seconds for their next and last score, Josh Charnley’s outstanding finish by the left corner flag.

Red Devils

Kai Morgan; Nathan Connell, Esan Marsters, Jonny Vaughan, Jake Thewlis; Jayden Nikorima, Joe Mellor; Jack Ormondroyd, Sam Davis, Harvey Makin, Ben Hellewell, Joe Shorrocks, Harvey Wilson

Bench:

Justin Sangare, Finley Yates, George Hill, Toby Warren

Try:

Shorrocks (62)

Goals:

Morgan 1/ 1

Leopards

Bailey Hodgson; AJ Towse, Darnell McIntosh, Andrew Badrock, Josh Charnley; Gareth O’Brien, Lachlan Lam; Owen Trout, Ben McNamara, Robbie Mulhern, Ethan O’Neill, Jack Hughes, Isaac Liu

Bench:

Matt Davis, Louis Brogan, Brad Dwyer, Nathan Wilde

Tries:

Badrock (2, 36), Towse (8), McIntosh (21), Davis (47), Charnley (79)

Goals:

McNamara 0/ 2, McIntosh 0/ 1, O’Brien 2/ 3

Scoring sequence: 0-4, 0-8, 0-12, 0-18 (ht), 0-24, 6-24, 6-28

Half-time: 0-18

Penalty count: 8-4

Referee: Liam Rush

Attendance: 5,493