SALFORD RED DEVILS {2021}

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Well done to season ticket holder and Bronze Squad Builder member David Hall, who won the Squad Builder cake that was up for grabs today {Sunday 29-8-21}

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BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 30th AUGUST 2021

KEN SIO RIPS HULL FC APART........

** MATCH REPORT **

** SALFORD RED DEVILS 42 - 14 HULL FC **

Betfred Super League

Salford (12) 42
Tries: Sio 4, Atkin, Livett, Burgess Goals: Inu 7

Hull FC (8) 14
Tries: Sao, Houghton Goals: Sneyd 3

Ken Sio scored four tries as Salford Red Devils severely dented Hull FC's play-off hopes in Super League.

Ligi Sao put Hull ahead but Sio crossed twice to help give the hosts a 12-8 half-time lead at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Danny Houghton's score edged the Black and Whites back in front, but the Red Devils dominated the final quarter.

Chris Atkin, Harvey Livett and Joe Burgess all crossed before winger Sio completed his hat-trick and then bagged a fourth score late on.

Salford had lost their previous two games, to struggling Leigh Centurions and league leaders Catalans Dragons, but are now assured of a place in the top flight next season.

Hull, who began the day in eighth place, started purposefully as Sao cut through the Salford defence inside the opening four minutes, but the Airlie Birds let their opponents back into the game.

Sio's first in the corner levelled the scores and then, after a Marc Sneyd penalty inched Hull two points ahead, the Australian ran onto and gathered his own grubber kick to give the Red Devils a half-time advantage.

Richard Marshall's side found themselves behind again when Sneyd's kick through rebounded off a post and Houghton pounced on the loose ball.

But the Red Devils crossed five times in the final 23 minutes - with Krisnan Inu flawless from the kicking tee - to wrestle control of the game and consign Hull to a sixth defeat in seven outings.

Salford coach Richard Marshall: "Hull have ambitions of being one of the top teams in the competition, so to win in the way we did was very pleasing.

"I am ecstatic because we've had a tough season and to dominate a team like Hull was testament to the players.

"Attacking-wise, it was our best performance of the season.

"This group of players have got some character and I am a proud coach. It's been a tough week and to score that many points against that class opposition was brilliant."

Hull coach Brett Hodgson: "What really disappointed me was that we capitulated in the last 20.

"We are all hurting at the moment. It was really disappointing.

"It's definitely back to the drawing board, but we have got to find a way through that lack of confidence.

"It's difficult to point out what exactly went wrong. We lacked resilience, which is something we've not lacked all season."

On the club's play-off hopes: "We are too far from where we need to be.

"While there's a mathematical chance we have to make sure we win every game. If we play like we played today we are not going to be there."

Salford Red Devils: Escare, Sio, Inu, Sarginson, Burgess, Lolohea, Hingano, Ormondroyd, Atkin, Johnson, Livett, Robson, Burke (capt).

Interchanges: Luckley, Roberts, Lannon, Addy.

Hull FC: Connor, Swift, Scott, Wynne, Faraimo, McNamara, Sneyd (capt), Satae, Houghton, Sao, Savelio, Ma'u, Lane.

Interchanges: Bowden, Fash, Fonua, Johnstone.

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Super League to remain a 12-team competition in 2022

Interim Super League chairman Ken Davy has confirmed that clubs have agreed to remain a 12-team competition in 2022.

Davy confirmed that the clubs have agreed to remain at 12 clubs ahead of next season, which effectively means that Leigh are relegated, having won just one of their 19 matches so far.

“The principle of promotion and relegation hasn’t changed,” said Davy, who says the Centurions will be eligible for a parachute payment.

Davy also confirmed talks are ongoing for a restructure of the competition from 2023, with a proposal for two divisions of 10 clubs on the table.

“I believe there does need to be significant change,” he said. “We’ve got a tremendous product and we need to widen the appeal of the sport.

“I produced a paper about six years ago that was based on promoting essentially three leagues of 10 and so one can see a lot of logic in two divisions of 10.

“In an ideal world, we want to have a structure that gives the ability for promotion and relegation to take place more easily with less draconian impact, particularly on the part of the relegated club.”

Davy says a domestic calendar has been provisionally drawn up for 2022, which will take into account the re-arranged World Cup next October and November.

The calendar, which is likely to see a return to the traditional Easter double header, is due to be revealed in Grand Final week in early October.

More immediately, Davy says Super League is bracing itself for bumper crowds for the Dacia Magic Weekend, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Newcastle.

The event was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic and put back from May in the hope of attracting an unlimited attendance which, after two successive disruption-free weekends, looks set to be the case.

Officials are not expecting to reach the 40,871 that watched the Saturday of the 2015 event or the record aggregate of 68,276 set in 2016 but are looking to draw between 50,000 and 60,000 fans to St James’ Park.

“The return of crowds has been sluggish but all the indications I’m seeing are positive,” Davy said.

“We underestimate the excitement the Magic Weekend generates amongst the players, the coaches and the supporters. I am not aware of another event in sport that can match it.”

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Super League clubs agree hand over in excess of £5m to RFL

Interim Super League chairman Ken Davy


Super League clubs have agreed to hand over in excess of £5million to the Rugby Football League for 2022 as talks continue on a re-alignment with the governing body.

The cash will come from the £25m a year thought to be due from the new two-year television agreement with Sky Sports, which kicks in from the end of this season.

Top-flight clubs took on television negotiations when they broke away from the RFL in 2018 but interim Super League chairman Ken Davy, who took over from executive chairman Robert Elstone in March, is keen to forge closer ties with the governing body.

Davy told a media briefing on Tuesday that talks which began in July are taking longer than anticipated but that he hopes for a conclusion by the end of the year.

“The process is causing a little bit of angst on my part,” he said. “But we are making progress and I’m pleased with the progress we’re making.”

In the meantime, Davy revealed that clubs have agreed to give around a fifth of its television income to the RFL, which will decide how much of the £5m-plus to hand on to the Championship and League 1 clubs.

“It’s important to appreciate that Super League is by no means the only source of income for the RFL,” he said.

“However, we have reached an agreement on a number in excess of £5m, which I believe is fair in every respect to both Super League and the RFL.

“Like most sports, TV income is down and so it is clearly less than previously but it is not an insignificant amount.

“That is for next year and provisionally for the year after subject to the re-alignment.”

Catalans Dragons will have a chance to clinch the League Leaders Shield in Newcastle when they take on St Helens in the second game on Saturday, but Super League’s chief commercial officer Rhodri Jones says the trophy is more likely to be presented in Perpignan on Saturday week, when the French club are due to host Huddersfield in their final home game.

That, according to Jones, would be seen as a reward for the extra lengths the French club have gone to during the pandemic and he also confirmed the game is likely to be made available for live television......

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 ** NEXT UP  ** 

SALFORD RED DEVILS v CASTLEFORD TIGERS

KO: 15:00 - SATURDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2021

VENUE: ST JAMES PARK {NEWCASTLE}

**MAGIC WEEKEND**

****LIVE ON SKY SPORTS****

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