IF it wasn’t a bad start before, it’s beginning to look like one now.

The last time Wolves began a Super League campaign with three losses was 2009. Their poor start cost James Lowes his job as head coach and The Wire finished outside the play-off places in 10th.

While there is no suggestion Tony Smith’s job is under threat this time around, his side never really looked like preventing a hat-trick of defeats on Saturday.

Granted, they led at half-time, but it was a performance that lacked a clinical edge and the conditions meant handling errors were never too far away.

When Junior Sa’u crashed over from Salford’s first set in the Wire half and Dec Patton’s resulting kick-off went out on the full, you sensed the writing may have been on the wall.

Patton made amends with the equalising try and Wolves set up camp in the Salford half, but chances came and went and George Griffin’s try had a certain inevitability about it.

The Wire responded well when Jack Hughes was the beneficiary of a perfect pass from the impressive Kurt Gidley to nudge themselves ahead at the break.

That try came after ex-Wire Gareth O’Brien had galloped away on a break that looked certain to give Salford a two-score lead going into half time but was dragged back for a very marginal forward pass.

It was a let off for Wolves and a warning they failed to heed.

Kriss Brining had put the Red Devils back in front before the visitors had even touched the ball in the second half and they rarely looked like losing from there.

Salford regularly punched through a slack Wolves defence, but Jack Johnson’s score from another excellent Gidley pass threatened to spark an away win.

They again camped down in Salford territory, but a Robert Lui interception turned the tables and Wire’s last chance had gone.

Another Sa’u try, his sixth in his last four games against Warrington, and two O’Brien penalties gave Salford the victory their slick, composed performance deserved.

The time to hit the panic button is still far away for Wolves, and another game day disrupted by injury and outside influences was not helpful, but something has to change quickly.

INTERESTING NOTES:

. Wolves worst start to a Super League season since 2009.

. A first Super League try since 2015 for Jack Johnson.

. Salford’s first win over Wolves in ten meetings.

. Matty Blythe’s second Wire debut.

MATCH FACTS: Super League, Round Three.

Saturday, March 4, 2017.

Salford Red Devils…24 Warrington Wolves…14

Salford: Gareth O’Brien; Greg Johnson, Kris Welham, Junior Sa’u, Jake Bibby; Robert Lui, Michael Dobson; Lama Tasi, Logan Tomkins, Lee Mossop, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan. Subs: Kriss Brining, Olsi Krasniqi, Craig Kopczak, Ryan Lannon.

Wolves: Kurt Gidley; Jack Johnson, Rhys Evans, Ryan Atkins, Tom Lineham; Kevin Brown, Dec Patton; Mike Cooper, Daryl Clark, Ashton Sims, Andre Savelio, Jack Hughes, Joe Westerman. Subs: Brad Dwyer, Matty Blythe, Harvey Livett, Ben Westwood.

Scoring: Sa’u try, 4mins, 4-0; Patton try, 24mins, 4-4; Griffin try, 34mins, 8-4; Hughes try, 37mins, Patton goal, 8-10; Brining try, 42mins, O’Brien goal, 14-10; Johnson try, 61mins, 14-14; O’Brien penalty, 67mins, 16-14; Sa’u try, 73mins, O’Brien goal, 22-14; O’Brien penalty, 79mins, 24-14.

Penalties: Salford 8 Wolves 6.

Referee: Jack Smith.

Attendance: 5,428.

Man of the match (live blog fan’s poll): Kurt Gidley.