Starting off, it was a great win in very boring fashion Although we played some great rugby at times, I think it was more of us doing just about enough rather than running ourselves in to the ground and going out for 70/80 points which maybe could have been possible because Salford are a very bad side in my opinion.

Stand out player again was Sam. He's actually too good at times and his last try summed him up. No where to go on the left wing so he runs the width of the pitch and scores on the right wing dodging 3 or 4 players along the way. Hes a great talent and im sure im not the only one to see him in our shirts rather than someone elses.

Finchy was a close second though, and really does make us tick at the moment organistional wise. I think he will be fine next season to take us around the park even with Deacs gone.

Forwards did enough for what was needed, but for me Hansen and Hock stood up going forward especially. Lockers was quiet though and didnt seem to spend a lot of time on the pitch, but no doubt his tackling stats will make me look silly in the morning

Shame for Crossy though, and best wishes go to him for a speedy recovery.

On to Bradford next week, hopefully we'll see more of the same as today, just enough to be done and move on to Wembley.

How come there were no flags in the South stand?

noticed the same myself, it all seemed very subdued to me.

Fair assessment. The main reason Salford got to score was because this game lacked any intensity at all. This outfit are very professional and clinical, doing enough to win. That said, i'm of the belief that MM has not shown his full hand, and when we do open up there are some great moves on display that even teams who are playing well, will still struggle to cope with.

The only place i would differ with you is that i thought Mossop was bloody awesome. Best prop in the league at the moment for me. I think Lockers was under instruction to take it easy, and George was rested quite a lot too... Good management.

As for Sam, that fourth try was just silly, and he made players look silly. He should never have scored, and better players may well have commited themselves to a tackle to stop him. Salford looked very weak, and Wigan were barely out of second gear.

A game that for me showed the problems that SL has.

Wigan barely got out of second gear and yet beat Salford easily. I don't want to turn this into a SC thread, but teams like Salford have had the benefit of the "level playing field" for a decade now and still can't compete.

It was a dull match and you are left wondering what clubs like Salford bring to the party.

For me the SL can be divided into 2 groups - 5 or 6 clubs that really add something to the league - Wigan, Saints, Leeds, Wire and Catalans (Bradford would have been there a few years ago, but have lost their way on and off the field) (you'd probably add Hull FC in there to be fair on the basis of their crowds and facilities) and the rest.

True but 5 years ago you could say the same about Wigan.

Clubs naturally rise and fall - Salford were a top 6 side just 5 years ago, as were Bradford.

Was the worst for some years for atmosphere at the ground.

As a supporter, after the Wire quarter and Saints semi, it's hard to get up for a game against Salford and I expect it's the same for the players. Don't mean any disrespect to Salford here, hopefully with the chairman they've got, at some stage they might replicate the early 1970's. I reckon it's down to the way things are organised. Winning or progress in the CC in the past defined a clubs season, get to the final and it was a carnival atmosphere all around the town. Nowadays, unless you get to the grand final, the season somehow or other hasn't worked out. It's great being back at Wembley but the buzz has changed.

Yes, but 5 years ago we were still getting 15,000 crowds and the Wigan area was generating a production line of talented young players. We still brought something to the world of RL.

There's only so far a club like Salford can rise. Hopefully the new stadium will help them do a mini-Warrington and increase their crowds but their contribution is limited.

As for Bradford, you make a good point. Their financial woes and the failure to modernise Odsal are damning indictments of the failure of licensing, the SC etc to bring stability and progress to the game. We just don't have the structures or monitoring systems in place. Neither the RFL nor many clubs' management are fit for purpose.

Looking at Saints' dire financials you have to be worried about them (and I mean that seriously, it would be fun for a brief period laughing at the Skints if they went into a financial tailspin, but it would be no fun if they were left in a completely uncompetitive state. We'd miss the derby.).

I'm not sure how many clubs can do the reverse of Bradford. Hull FC have come a long way, though to be fair they've always been a big club historically (even if their fans challenge Wire's for the title of the most moronic in RL) and what Catalans have done is just fantastic. It's hard to see though in the SL any side that can join the top 5 or 6 clubs in making a really significant contribution. Hudds, Wakey, Cas, Salford - they just don't have the fan base. Hull KR might make it, they got big crowds in the 80s. London, well the less said the better. RL needs a London presence but the failure to get even half decent crowds there is disgraceful.

I'm still of the opinion that other clubs, with the right management, could do the same as Catalans & Warrington (and HKR, to a lesser extent) have done in recent years.

If I had to put a bet on, I'd say Widnes had a good chance of being the next success story, or possibly Hull, with their new owner.

"Right management" is the key, though, and I agree there are still far too many clubs that don't have that.

This!