Mcdonnell Scores Four Tries As Rhinos Rout Salford

Betfred Super League

Salford Red Devils (0) 0

Leeds Rhinos (6) 28

Tries: McDonnell 4, Miller Goals: Miller 4

James McDonnell's four-try haul underpinned a comfortable Leeds triumph arsenic they saw disconnected nan beleaguered Salford Red Devils to spell 5th successful nan Super League table.

Salford, whose ongoing financial troubles person severely depleted their squad, defended tenaciously passim nan first half to restrict their visitors to a azygous people by McDonnell and Lachlan Miller's penalty.

But it was a different communicative aft nan interval arsenic backmost rower McDonnell went complete doubly much wrong nan first 5 minutes to complete his hat-trick and Leeds stretched their advantage further erstwhile Miller converted his ain try.

McDonnell galloped done to registry his 4th precocious connected – and had a 5th chalked disconnected for a guardant walk – while Salford, who stay 2nd bottom, recorded a blank scoresheet for nan 4th clip successful 7 convention games.

Salford skipper Kallum Watkins' return to Leeds earlier this week made him nan sixth subordinate to depart since nan commencement of nan twelvemonth – though it was agreed he would not characteristic against his erstwhile club.

With full-back Ryan Brierley sidelined by a hamstring problem, nan location broadside handed a first commencement of nan run to Chris Atkin – who was shoulder-charged by Keenan Palasia wrong seconds of kick-off, earning nan Rhinos' loose guardant a spell successful nan misdeed bin.

Dogged defence by nan Red Devils kept their visitors astatine bay, pinch Jarrod O'Connor brought down conscionable short of nan statement and Ryan Hall narrowly failing to stitchery Jake Connor's footwear to nan corner.

But Salford's handling errors, peculiarly wrong their ain territory, meant they were incapable to summation traction going guardant and they yet fell down erstwhile Connor burst done and dummied earlier offloading for McDonnell to score.

However, Connor's conversion effort thudded disconnected a station and, contempt incessant Rhinos unit towards nan extremity of nan first half, they could only adhd a regular punishment extremity from Miller connected nan changeable of nan interval.

Leeds were speedy retired of nan blocks aft nan turnaround and Harry Newman's deft backhand walk to Hall connected nan helping was swiftly returned for nan centre to group up McDonnell's 2nd effort of nan night.

McDonnell's treble soon followed arsenic he ran onto Connor's crafty footwear done and, though nan Rhinos had Mik Oledzki yellow-carded for a precocious tackle connected Matty Foster, it did thing to derail their momentum.

Newman wriggled crossed nan line, only for nan effort to beryllium chalked disconnected by nan video referee for a double movement, but Miller nipped betwixt 2 Salford defenders to cod Morgan Gannon's footwear for nan visitors' 4th score.

That ended McDonnell's monopoly connected tries, but nan 25-year-old burst clear for his 4th of nan nighttime and referee Liam Rush denied him a 5th precocious connected because of Newman's guardant walk successful nan build-up.

Salford Red Devils caput coach Paul Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester:

"We're really pleased pinch nan effort arsenic always, but we won't beryllium location and beryllium pleased pinch conscionable having bully effort – we want to get amended and amended people.

"We created capable opportunities successful that first half that I think, pinch nan X-factor unit – nan large earners if you for illustration – we nail immoderate points.

"But nan characteristic and committedness of nan team, led by group for illustration Jack Ormondroyd and Joe Mellor, is 2nd to none.

"I'm going to return each mini triumph and observe it. Small wins for maine are seeing young group make their debuts and create and seeing elder players for illustration Jack find thing wrong himself he ne'er knew was there."

Leeds Rhinos caput coach Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds:

"It wasn't nan top spectacle but we kept them to nil and sometimes that tin beryllium reliable to do successful these benignant of games, erstwhile it's risk-free football.

"We were bully defensively, our strength was good, completions were good, we played nan correct section position – we conscionable astir apt didn't look arsenic crisp arsenic I'd for illustration america to.

"When you're trying very difficult to pursuit nan scoreboard, you tin suffer your measurement a small spot and we did that successful nan first half alternatively of letting it evolve.

"In nan 2nd half, erstwhile we relaxed a small bit, we played much direct. There's plentifulness location to like."

Salford Red Devils: Atkin, Wagstaffe, Marsters, Vaughan, Glover, Nikorima, Morgan, Ormondroyd, Mellor, Foster, Wright, Shorrocks, Wilson.

Interchanges: Davis, Sangare, Pye, Hill, Yates.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Lumb, Frawley, Connor, Oledzki, O'Connor, Jenkins, Bentley, McDonnell, Palasia.

Interchanges: Gannon, Lisone, Sinfield, Holroyd, Nicholson-Watton.

Referee: Liam Rush