It was simply a 'must win' game for both Salford Red Devils and London Broncos as they met in the Saturday afternoon Super Eights Qualifier at the A.J. Bell Stadium.
A fifty-seven point win would see the Red Devils up into third spot ahead of tomorrow's games. This would see them in the final automatic promotion berth, but a loss would see them odds on for the Million Pound Game.
Anything but a win for the Broncos would signal the end of their promotion hopes and would rule them out of the Million Pound game.
The Broncos were out of the blocks early and had the best of the opening quarter hour. On fifteen William Barthau intercepted a Michael Dobson pass on the half way line and sprinted fifty metres down the right wing to score without a Red Devils hand on him. Jamie Soward failed to convert but the already quiet Salford fans were silenced.
After the opening score the Red Devils dominated the next nineteen minutes with only a determined Red Devils defence keeping then scoreless. On thirty-four George Griffin finally found his way to the line spinning out of the London tackles to drop over the line under the sticks. Gareth O'Brien added the extras to edge his side into a 6-4 lead.
Two minutes from the interval and Scott Leatherbarrow benefitted from an Israel Eliab break to take a Jamie Thackray pass to score five in from the touchline. Jamie Soward kicked the conversion for a 10-6 away lead at the break.
The Broncos took the game to Salford at the start of the second half and had chances to increase their lead. On fifty-seven Jamie Soward made a break down the right wing, passed outside to Elias who offloaded back into the field of play as he was pushed into touch by the Red Devils defence. The flung ball was picked up by Soward who went two metres and dove over the line. He added the conversion for 16-6 stunning the Red Devils.
A sixty-fifth minute London penalty, given for interference at the play-the-ball, allowed Soward to add another two from ten metres out. Salford now needed three converted tries for the crucial win.
A William Barthau drop goal on seventy extended the lead to thirteen points.
Gareth O'Brien put Josh Griffin over for a late consolation on seventh-five. O'Brien added the extras for 12-19. A Sa'u offload to the supporting Josh Griffin reduced the deficit to three points but O'Brien couldn't add the extras and when Dobson put the kick-off out on the full it took a superhuman defence to keep Salford from scoring the winner.
This was a great win for London Broncos and a disaster for the Red Devils. It keeps alive London's outside hopes of a chance in the Million Pound Game but that will require a win against Featherstone while Salford lose to Batley, or a massive turn-around in points difference.
The Broncos were brilliant and the Red Devils awful, bar the last ten minutes. One of these sides will be the away side in the Million Pound Game and while it is odds-on that it will be the Red Devils, on this showing you would expect that it would be London who would give the better showing.
Red Devils: Evalds, Johnson, Jones, Sau, Griffin J. (2T), O'Brien (2G), Dobson, Burgess, Tomkins, Griffin G. (T), Murdoch-Masila, Hauraki, Flanagan. Subs: Lui, Kopczak, Krasniqi, Walne A..
Broncos: Kear, Williams, Hellewell, Eliab, Pearce-Paul, Soward (T, 3G), Barthau (T, DG), Slyney, Ackers, Ioane, Harrison, Garside, Bussey. Subs: Leatherbarrow (T), Thackray, Battye, Offerdahl.
Referee: Joe Cobb.
Attendance: .
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