Salford Red Devils 22-6 Warrington Wolves: Ken Sio stars to beat Challenge Cup winners
By Sky Sports Rugby League
Last Updated: 29/08/19 10:58pm
Ken Sio’s hat-trick helped Salford Red Devils secure a club-record sixth-straight Super League win with a 22-6 victory over Warrington Wolves.
The first 40 minutes of Thursday night's game saw the defences of both teams on top, but Salford held a slender two-point lead at half-time courtesy of a penalty from Krisnan Inu.
However, the Red Devils cut loose after the break and Sio's three tries in the space of 15 minutes helped secure a memorable win which saw them move level on points with the Challenge Cup winners.
Jake Bibby also got a try and Inu added two more conversions to put the seal on Salford's third win over Warrington this season - a result which lifts them to third in the table and level on points with the second-placed Wolves.
Head coach Steve Price made several changes to the visitors' line-up, playing just five days after they beat St Helens at Wembley, with the likes of Chris Hill, Declan Patton and Mike Cooper rested.
The Wolves battled hard in the first half but clearly ran out of energy after the turnaround. In contrast, the Red Devils had not played since August 17, when they impressively won for a fifth-successive match at Hull FC.
The run has seen them emerge as serious contenders to finish in the top four in a season many predicted they would struggle to avoid relegation in.
Despite their Cup heroics, Warrington's Super League form has been poor, losing their five games heading into the match at the AJ Bell Stadium - a run which has seen Salford, Wigan and Hull all make ground on them in the race for a play-off spot.
After a tryless first half, Salford held a slim advantage thanks to the 10th-minute penalty from Inu after the visitors were caught offside.
For all the promptings of half-backs Tui Lolohea and Jackson Hastings, Salford could not find a way through the Warrington defence despite forcing their opponents to concede two goal-line dropouts.
The game's first try finally arrived in the 49th minute when a towering kick to the corner by Lolohea was spilled by Wolves winger Tom Lineham and Sio scooped up the loose ball to score.
Inu's conversion attempt hit the upright, but the try seemed to energise the Red Devils and their supporters - and they produced a match-defining spell.
Sio got his second try after a brilliant offload in the tackle by Kris Welham to Niall Evalds had kept the ball alive, before Bibby finished a stunning move sparked by a determined burst by Joey Lussick through the heart of the Wolves' defence.
With 17 minutes remaining, Sio wrapped up his hat-trick when he picked up a loose kick close to his own try-line and sprinted almost the length of the field to score a try which Inu converted.
Warrington finally got off the mark with one minute remaining when Danny Walker scored a try which Stefan Ratchford, making his 350th career appearance, converted.
Match reaction
Ken Sio spoke of the pride him and his team-mates have in the Salford badge and jersey after being named man of the match in the win over Warrington.
Warrington head coach Steve Price hailed the efforts of his players in the defeat at Salford, which came following a short turnaround after last Saturday's Challenge Cup final.
Salford head coach Ian Watson was pleased with the second-half showing from the Red Devils as they cut loose to secure an important win over Warrington.
