IT may have been “benefit of the doubt” but Sia Soliola had none whatsoever when he crossed the whitewash on Friday.
The 25-year-old was the first Saints scorer when they played against Widnes back in January and he backed that up with the Club’s opener in a competitive game at Langtree Park.
“Benefit of the doubt? I was sure as I could ever be,” he said. “It went down for sure. I was trying to get Richard Silverwood’s attention… but I knew it was down!
“We needed that try. We knew what we were capable of, but things didn’t go our way in the first half so half time came at the right time. We sat down, took a break and looked back and then had a good second half.
“It was a crazy atmosphere, unbelievable really. The crowd were vocal and on top of us. I didn’t think it would be that intense and it was like a Grand Final. You could feel everyone roaring to go.”
Saints were 10-0 down against Salford before Soliola’s marker started a comeback which stretched to 38 points.
“We were in control in the second half and to be honest it felt like it was in training. The problem in the first was we wasn’t doing what we were trained to do. It felt right in the second half and it snowballed from there.”
Sia has made 37 appearances for Saints to date and has become famous for his workrate and massive defensive hits.
“Those hits are instinctive and you have to get the timing right; they are one of those things,” Sia added. “Adrian Morley does it too; you have to see the opportunity. Of course there is a risk to it. If you miss they could break through.
“We played back yard footie at home against our cousins – like bullrush that sort of thing – and it was pretty tough. The only rule was you weren’t allowed to cry!”
