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Saints Academy Back To Winning Ways
Salford City Reds Gillette Rugby League Academy 34 v 52 St Helens Gillette Rugby League Academy
By Graham Henthorne, Team Manager
The Saints Academy exorcised last weeks’ defeat with a nine try demolition of a plucky Salford outfit.
In truth, however, this was a rather scratchy performance from the Academy who only really showed their true form in the final 20 minutes of the first half.
That this coincided with the introduction of Ben Karalius from the bench was no coincidence. He combined well with Jamie Ellis at half back providing the perfect link out wide.
The metal of the Saints was tested early on with the home side building pressure and going ahead on eight minutes.
But good defence forced the error which allowed Andy Yates to bring the Saints back into it as he charged onto an Ellis pass close to the line.
The Academy deserved to take the lead five minutes later but Jack Bradbury was held inches short after taking Ellis’s chip over the line.
On the next set Man of the Match Matty Ashurst did snatch the lead going 50 metres to score at the side of the posts after Karl Ashall had put Warren Thompson into the clear.
Yates was denied a second by a dubious forward pass before Matty Ashurst scored his second finishing Danny Langtree’s break.
The City Reds brought themselves to within a converted try with a 60 metre try but this only served to fuel the Academy’s fire and the game was put beyond the reach of the home side with three tries in the final seven minutes of the half.
Jack Bradbury scored in the left corner off Matty Ashurst’s flicked overhead pass after the ball had been whipped across the line by Ellis and Karalius.
Tommy Johnson scored the first of his brace haring up on the inside in support of the initial Martin Waring line break.
But the try of the match was saved until the final 30 seconds. Ellis chipped over the advancing defence, Jamie Foster caught it superbly on the run, took it to the fullback and then fed it back inside to the supporting Ellis to finish off the move he started.
Foster kicked his fifth goal and the Saints had the game in the bag.
Whereas the first half finally flared into life, the second never did remaining a patchy affair with the Saints guilty of some poor ball handling putting themselves under unnecessary pressure.
Tommy Johnson’s second, finishing off a delightful run around move from Ellis and Thompson, was sandwiched between two converted Salford scores.
The Saints pulled away again as Stephen Lucas got in on the act. He burst onto an Ashurst short ball for his first after a great kick from Karl Ashall had put the Saints on the attack.
His second contained a rarity for a prop forward, a sidestep around the full back! Although there were a number of dissenting voices who thought he had just stumbled!
Two late Salford tries made the score respectable.
A wins a win as they say and this was just that. Ellis and Karalius worked well together and Yates and Lucas made the hard yards but Matty Ashurst was the stand out performer with quick, crisp handling and scything runs through the defence.
The performances later in the season will have to be better. But for a first time out after a defeat for a team that hasn’t lost much in three seasons, this wasn’t bad.
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Salford City Reds Junior Academy
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St Helens Junior Academy
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Salford City Reds Junior Academy:
Tries: Jonny Youds, Richard Lepori 3, Lewis Palfrey, Jason Walton.
Goals: Lewis Palfrey 5.
Saints Junior Academy:
Tries: Tommy Johnson 2, Jack Bradbury, Jamie Ellis, Andrew Yates, Stephen Lucas 2, Matty Ashurst 2.
Goals: Jamie Foster 8.
Half Time: 34-12
Full Time: 52-34
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