The nerveless stroke of Gareth O’Brien’s right boot in last year’s Million Pound Game ensured his cult status around Salford and if the full-back continues to perform like this there will be no relegation concerns for Ian Watson’s side this season.
There are traits in this Salford side which should provide optimism aplenty. In many ways Salford are a team like no other, that much is obvious even this early in the season. On occasions they are irresistible but they are also equally capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous in a matter of moments.
Given how close they came to relegation last year it is easy to forget that without a six-point deduction imposed on them midway through 2016, Salford would have been in the top eight and a world away from the Million Pound Game. This year, there are no such penalties on the horizon and with O’Brien pulling the strings and the highly regardedWatson in charge, perhaps the future can be bright for a side who have underachieved for so long.
Huddersfield played their part in a thrilling game and on occasions looked capable of a second consecutive victory to open the season, but it was O’Brien’s brilliance which ultimately proved decisive.
“Last year we were in tight games and were coming out on the wrong side of them,” Watson said. “To learn to win those tight games you’ve got to first go through being in them and we’re starting to learn.”
Huddersfield would have gone top of the early table with a win here – perhaps nothing to shout about too loudly in mid-February – but they were unable to back up last weekend’s impressive victory against Widnes.
There were positives, though: Danny Brough remains Super League’s fine wine, seemingly getting better and better with age, while there were impressive contributions from the forwards Kruise Leeming and Sebastine Ikahihifo.
But this was a night when Huddersfield and their coach, Rick Stone, were left to rue what might have been.
“I think we just got beat by a hungrier team,” Stone said. “Last week was only one week; one swallow doesn’t make a summer and no team wants to be beaten in the first two weeks.
“I think we saw that tonight with Salford – they deserved the win.”
O’Brien’s right boot was called into action early on as he kicked Salford into a 2-0 lead. Although Huddersfield went ahead courtesy of Jermaine McGillvary’s try Salford regained a lead they would not surrender for the remainder of the evening when Junior Sa’u crossed, before another penalty from O’Brien opened up a 10-4 half-time lead.
It got even better after the interval when a magnificent 40-20 from Michael Dobson laid the platform for O’Brien to dart through for his first try of the night.
Huddersfield rallied and two quick tries from Alex Mellor, both laid on by the outstanding Brough, reduced the gap to only two points.
The Salford of 2016 might have buckled at that point – and again in the closing stages when Ukuma Ta’ai reduced the gap to two for a third time – but not this current crop.
O’Brien’s second had restored Salford’s lead to eight before, late on, Josh Jones produced a moment which encapsulated everything good about the Red Devils.
He refused to be go down, bumping off five Huddersfield defenders in charging over from close range to secure an impressive victory.
Huddersfield Gaskell; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Mellor, Murphy; Brough, Brierley; Ikahihifo, Hinchcliffe, Ta’ai, Lawrence, Ferguson, Rapira. Interchange Wakeman, Clough, Roberts, Leeming.
Tries McGillvary, Mellor 2, Ta’ai. Goals Brough 2.
Salford O’Brien; Johnson, Welham, Sa’u, Carney; Lui, Dobson; Kopczak, Tomkins, Mossop, Jones, Griffin, Flanagan. Interchange Brining, Krasniqi, Tasi, Walne.
Tries Sa’u, O’Brien 2, Jones. Goals O’Brien 7.
Referee J Child. Attendance 6,017.
