Magic WKND Day Two Round Up

Two of the league’s entertainers kicked off Day Two of Magic WKND, as Leigh Leopards and Salford Red Devils met in the opening game on Sunday.

The Leopards, who controlled the game throughout, took a 12-0 lead heading into the interval with tries from Edwin Ipape and Umyla Hanley.

Ipape crashed over in trademark fashion five minutes in, before Hanley capitalised on a lapse in concentration in the Red Devils defence – bursting through and racing away to score in the corner.

The liveliness of the Leopards continued, while Salford will be disappointed with this year's Magic Weekend performance.

Into the final ten minutes, Zak Hardaker and Ricky Leutele then sealed a confident 26-0 Magic win with a try each, as Leigh claimed a crucial two points.

Adrian Lam’s men have now won six out of their last seven Super League games, narrowing the gap in the league table to just three points between themselves and Salford, and keeping their Play-Off dreams well and truly alive.

Ipape ? Hardaker #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/3V2Olp9VD7

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 18, 2024

Sunday's middle game was another one of magnitude, with Catalans Dragons looking to create distance between themselves and the teams around them, and an in form Hull KR hoping to make history and regain top spot.

The first forty was closely fought, with the Robins running it on the last tackle and Elliot Minchella crashing over for the first try of the match, thirteen minutes in.

Bayley Sironen did hit back for the Dragons, but Peta Hiku and Ryan Hall would respond soon after. Hiku fooled his defenders and swooped over to score on his first ever Magic appearance, while Magic's all-time top try scorer Hall took his tally to twelve tries with a touch down in the corner.

The dominance from Hull KR carried through into the second half, with Minchella completing a double one minute in. Hall and Tanginoa also bagged braces, as Hull KR became unstoppable in pursuit of 1st place with their renowned flair in attack.

Rounding off a memorable Magic win, Niall Evalds collected a perfectly timed Tyrone May kick to score under the posts and defeat the Dragons 4-36. 

The Robins are now six wins from six and have remarkably become the first team to defeat every other team at least once this season.

The Robins are flexing their muscles ?#SuperLeague #MagicWKND pic.twitter.com/RVGBKJWh5x

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 18, 2024

A West Yorkshire derby would then bring the curtain down on the 2024 Magic Weekend at Elland Road, as Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers went head-to-head in Game Six.

It was one way traffic to begin with as Huddersfield's Sam Halsall crossed for a try on his birthday, before new contract man Leroy Cudjoe unselfishly offloaded to Sam Hewitt who scored the second try.

The Tigers trailed 12-0 at the interval, and this soon become 18-0 when Esan Marsters marked his return to the side with a try - punishing Jason Qareqare's mistake.

But it soon became a tale of two halves, as Qareqare soon made up for his previous error with a flying finish in the corner to get Castleford on the board.

With eleven minutes remaining, Qareqare shone again as he collected Liam Horne's cross-field kick to touch down and reduce the deficit to just six points.

But any form of comeback was shortlived, as Jake Connor converted a successful penalty kick to earn bragging rights (20-12).

With their victory on Sunday, Huddersfield become the team to have the most Magic Weekend wins in history, with eleven wins in total.

Two quick fire tries from @Giantsrl ?@Elroy_cudj ? @Samhewittt#SuperLeague #MagicWKND pic.twitter.com/YkW94zn4je

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 18, 2024