Paul Rowley explains why Salford Red Devils beat Huddersfield Giants

Salford are once again 80 minutes away from the Grand Final and who’d have thought it.

Written off not just at the start of the season but also mid way through the campaign, and yet the impossible dream of another Grand Final for the club is well and truly alive after a 28-0 win away at Huddersfield this afternoon.

They’re riding the crest of a wave and are seemingly echoing that great season three years ago. Even today’s result mirrored a win they picked up on the road to Old Trafford in 2019 when they beat Castleford 22-0.

Today was even better from the Red Devils and now the semi-finals await for Paul Rowley and his side. Though he now faces the tough challenge of going to the Champions St Helens next week.

After the game, Rowley spoke about just why he felt Salford were able to get the better of Huddersfield and secure their semi-final spot: “I thought it was a win for character and commitment for our group best typified by our start. We played really smart, I thought our recognition of when to play and when not to play was really good.

“As a result of that we completed really high and put a lot of pressure on Huddersfield early.

“Defensively we were outstanding especially on edges, we got up high which made Huddersfield complete in the 60s. They win games when they complete at 82%.

“Credit to our edges but if you get up high they turn back in the middles so our whole defensive line was connected and resilient and had a great apatite to defend.

He also identified the start of the second half as a key instant: “The 10 minutes after halftime, we defended for 10 and then our DNA kicks in and we get the ball and score up the other end.

“Rather than hope we’re going to get a lucky break, we took matters into our own hands and showed some tremendous bravery to flip it on its head and go score at the other end.”

So, a win built on character and the DNA of this side. They’ll need both to stand out next week if they’re going to return to Old Trafford.