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JACK WALKER brought surprise leaders Salford down to earth with a 46-14 Leeds win at the AJ Bell Stadium.
The Red Devils topped the table after two games, while the Rhinos were winless and bottom.
But Dave Furner’s men looked a class apart and teenage full-back Walker led the way with a terrific hat-trick.
Furner said: “He’s playing in a position that holds a lot of responsibility, but he is very brave for a 19-year-old.
“His courage has stood out to me from day one. He has showed a lot
of maturity.” Marquee signing Konrad Hurrell grabbed two tries, while Adam Cuthbertson, Matt Parcell and Ash Handley also weighed in with touchdowns, after Joey Lussick and Josh Jones scored early in both halves for Salford.
Furner said: “We have had a tough start but we have learned from it. I like the way the team has responded.”
The margin of the victory was harsh on a Reds side who started both halves hungrier and better, but coach Ian Watson said: “We’ve got to learn from that. Leeds got what they deserved in the end. There was not a big difference in talent but we didn’t put up a good showing.”
Prop Mitch Garbutt plundered two tries as Hull KR produced a stirring second-half performance to claim another home win, 22-12 over London Broncos.
Australian Garbutt touched down twice after London led 6-4 at the break, Craig Hall also crossing the tryline.
“Mitch is coming on and making a difference,” said Rovers coach Tim Sheens. “His carries are great, he’s got good feet and is clever with the ball.
“We set him some targets on body fat and he’s achieved that. He still wants to lose a bit more weight but he is a different shape to what he has been the last couple of years.”
London coach Danny Ward said: “We thought we had them on the rack and could have scored more tries in the first half.
“But we were our own worst enemies in the second half. We dropped the ball on our first two sets.”