Ian Watson hails Kevin Brown as Salford prove too strong for Hull
Salford coach Ian Watson paid tribute to evergreen half-back Kevin Brown following his man of the match performance in his side’s 28-22 victory over Hull.
Winger Krisnan Inu scored 16 points with two tries and four goals but architect of the victory was the former Wigan, Huddersfield, Warrington and England player, who turns 36 in October but is showing no sign of slowing up.
“He was finding his feet before the lockdown and in the last two weeks he’s really got a grip with the team.
“He’s fit and in good condition, age doesn’t come into it. He ran a marathon during lockdown.”
REPORT: Hull 22-28 Salford: Krisnan Inu inspires Red Devils to victory against Hull
Inu, who scored the 1,000th point of his career in Salford’s Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Catalans Dragons, put his side on their way to victory with two tries before half-time.
“He’s been brilliant for us the last couple of weeks,” Watson said. “He’s unbelievable, so talented, he could play whatever sport he wanted and excel.”
Hull were much improved from the team that suffered a crushing 54-18 defeat at the hands of Salford in the first game back at Leeds in August but could not quite get over the top of Watson’s well-marshalled team.
Full-back Jamie Shaul, back in the Hull side after missing their 36-4 defeat by Wigan in the Challenge Cup a week earlier with a head injury, also scored two tries, bringing up his century for the club, but they were in vain.
“We had spoken about turning the ball over on our terms and I thought we did that very well in the first half but our soft underbelly reared its head,” said Hull’s interim head coach Andy Last.
“We lacked composure in that second half. Our last-play options were not where they needed to be and their half-backs kicked the ball better than we did.”
A week after crashing out of the Challenge Cup, a seventh league defeat of the season leaves Hull with little prospect of securing a top-four finish but Last says they still have plenty to play for.
“We’ve professional pride to play for,” he said. “They need to make sure they need to represent this club the way they should.”
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