Leeds edge out Salford to boost play-off hopes

Just four points separate third to eighth in Super League

Rhyse Martin's two penalties edged Leeds Rhinos to victory at Super League play-off rivals Salford.

Leeds had led through Cameron Smith and Ash Handley tries but Salford appeared to have the momentum.

A high penalty count cost Salford, and Martin's two successful kicks saw them seize the points.

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The win puts Leeds seventh, just two points adrift of their opponents who occupy the final play-off spot.

Salford welcomed back their pivotal trio of stand-off Croft, hooker Andy Ackers and full-back Ryan Brierley from injury but they could not prevent a fourth successive defeat.

Leeds are staging a late surge for the play-offs and they were on their way to a third consecutive win when Cameron Smith spotted a gaping hole in the home side's defence to go over.

Croft was soon exerting his influence, however, and his grubber kick sent Lafai over to narrow the gap.

More lacklustre defending allowed Richie Myler to send Handley over for his 99th Super League try and Leeds, who were missing their own stand-off Blake Austin through suspension, had breathing space at half-time.

Salford came out firing in the second half as Croft's invention and Lafai's finish proved irresistible for a try which was a carbon copy of the first.

Within 10 minutes of the restart Salford were ahead for the first time as Croft's kick was brilliantly gathered by Sio, who raced over.

With Marc Sneyd having his thigh heavily strapped, Ryan Brierley took over kicking duties and he crucially missed the conversion.

The simmering physicality of the contest boiled over into a fracas which saw Salford's Chris Atkin and Leeds' Mikolaj Oledzki both sin-binned, and that seemed to disrupt the Reds' momentum.

With the penalty count mounting, Martin levelled and then, when Sneyd's goalline drop-out went out on the full, he gratefully accepted the gift from the tee to secure the victory.

Salford: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Ormondroyd, Ackers, Gerrard, Addy, Hellewell, Partington

Interchanges: Vuniyayawa, Atkin, Dupree, Costello (Sidlow)

Leeds: Myler, Fusitu'a, MacDonald, Martin, Handley, Johnson, Sezer, Oledzki, O'Connor, Walters, Bentley, McDonnell, Smith

Interchanges: Donaldson, Lisone, Holroyd, Roberts (Ruan)

Referee: Aaron Moore.

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