Red Devils acting head coach Ian Watson was brought back to earth with a bump after Bradford became the first Championship club to beat a Super League side in the Super 8’s Qualifiers at Odsal.
From the get go, Salford were simply not at the races.
An early error from Rangi Chase on saw Dale Ferguson race away to score inside of five minutes to give Braford the lead.
From then it just worse for the Devils.
Recap: Super 8 Qualifiers: Minute by minute – Salford Red Devils vs Bradford Bulls
By half time, in this reporter’s opinion, the game was over at 17-4, and I wasn’t alone.
Chairman Marwan Koukash also left before the end having seen his side capitulate to a Bradford side keen on making the return to back to the big time.
Marwan also took to social media to denounce the few mindless fans who let off flares in the away end.
“I won’t defend the behaviour of the few idiots today and they will be dealt with. The vast majority of our fans were not involved.”
Hopefully, with the help of the Bulls, the club will be able to identify those who repeatedly set off flares, and deal with them appropriately.
As Watson said post match: “It’s completely embarrassing really, for everyone associated with the club.
“We expected better.
“They got a couple of wins and then fall in love with themselves and forget what’s them there – hard work.”
Recap: Minute by minute – Super 8s: Salford Red Devils vs Leigh Centurions
Recap: Minute by minute – Super 8s: Salford Red Devils vs Wakefield Wildcats
As it stands though, after three games, it’s Salford who are looking like being in a playoff situation.
They have had two of their three home games, and have yet to travel to Widnes, Halifax and Hull.
The only saving grace from yesterday was the fact that Widnes lost at home. Salford’s point’s difference took a real hammering though.
By the time the final whistle went, the score of 41-10 was a fair reflection of the way both teams performed.
Bradford looked like they wanted to show that they were better than the team that rolled over Wakefield, and Salford looked like they had already decided they were safe.
Salford just didn’t look like the same side that had ground out wins against Leigh and Wakefield.
The general thinking was that they needed to win four to ensure a place in the top half of the table, but five wins would see them safe and clear.
As it stands, now sitting 5th, they will want to make the most of the coming break before heading off to Halifax on September 5th in a game being shown live on Sky.
On the showing at Odsal, the break for the Challenge Cup has arrived at the right time for Watson. He and his assistants will have their work cut out to find any positives from those 80 minutes.
