Yorkshire | Leeds Rhinos ease to win over Salford

Leeds Rhinos 42 - 6 Salford Red Devils

Alfie Edgell scored a hat-trick as Leeds Rhinos returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over Salford Red Devils.

Author | Oliver W

Stadium | Headingley Rugby Stadium

The young winger struck twice in the opening period to help his team keep a determined Salford at bay. The visitors responded through Ryan Brierley and thought they had drawn level just before the break, only for a try to be chalked off for obstruction in what was a spirited first-half display at Headingley.

After the restart, Leeds eliminated the errors that had crept into their early play, while Salford began to fade. Lachie Miller crossed the whitewash, Edgell completed his treble and further tries from Harry Newman, James McDonnell and Cooper Jenkins sealed the result.

The win lifts Leeds, beaten at home by St Helens last week, back into fourth place and maintains their perfect record this season against a Salford side whose off-field troubles continue to overshadow their campaign.

What's going on at Salford?

Tensions had been simmering earlier in the week following speculation that Salford players might strike in protest at late wage payments and a salary cap restriction that has contributed to the departure of 11 senior players. A midweek meeting involving club officials, the squad and representatives from the Rugby Football League helped calm the waters, and Salford responded with a performance that belied their current predicament.

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Still buoyed by last week's rare win over Castleford, the Red Devils made a promising start despite missing key players including Esan Marsters, Jayden Nikorima and Loghan Lewis. After Edgell’s early double had set the tone, Salford hit back with Brierley, operating out of position at stand-off, chasing down his own chip to score.

Salford’s makeshift line-up included teenager Declan Murphy, who earned a first start following an eye-catching debut against Castleford. He thought he had levelled the match with a dazzling solo try only to see it ruled out for obstruction by a teammate.

Leeds eventually show their strength

Leeds were not without injury concerns of their own, with props Tom Holroyd and Mikolaj Oledzki absent after picking up knocks the previous week. But the hosts reasserted control after the break. Miller latched onto a clever reverse ball from Jake Connor to touch down, and when Connor later opted to take the two points from a penalty, it was a rare nod to Salford’s competitiveness.

Matty Foster was sin-binned for a foul on Brodie Croft, and Leeds wasted no time in making their advantage count. Edgell completed his hat-trick from the resulting penalty, before Newman started and finished a sweeping move to grab his eighth try of the season.

With Salford down to 12, Leeds continued to pile on the pressure. Debutant Presley Cassell earned a penalty with his first involvement and from the next attack McDonnell scored his fifth try of the season, having grabbed four in the reverse fixture. Jenkins then capped the evening with his first try for the club, while Connor added the extras to finish with seven goals from eight attempts.