The final game of round nine of Super league XXX saw what
was, on paper, the game of the round as fourth placed Hull FC took on the
champions Wigan Warriors for the chance to finish the weekend in second spot in
the league table.
A win for Wigan would be enough to take them second and
leave them just two league points behind Hull KR, FC needed to win by
thirty-seven points to lift them above the Leigh Leopards on points difference,
but they knew that a win of any description in front of their vociferous fans, would lift them above the Warriors and into third.
The bookies thought that it would be a win for the visitors
and had given the Black and Whites a twelve-point start on the handicap coupon.
An acrobatic opener from Bevan French, summersaulting to ground
a Harry Smith grubber into goal, a split second before the ball bounced dead in
goal. Adam Keighran, back after a four-week injury, added the extra points for
a 6-0 lead.
An early Wigan try would usually lead to an onslaught, but
it was Hull who scored the second try of the game on twelve when Will Price
threw a dummy, dipped the shoulder and dotted down in the left corner. Aidan
Sezer added the conversion from wide to level the scores.
On fourteen Wigan were back in the lead as Jai Field took
the pass, span out of a tackle and rounded behind the sticks to dive over and
ground. Keighran was again on target for a 12-6 lead.
The tit-for-tat continued on twenty-four Harvey Barron
jumping to take a pinpoint Sezer kick five metres from the Wigan line before
spinning out of the tackle and grounding. Sezer hit the target for the second
time, the sides tied up again.
A brilliant individual effort from Junior Nsemba, weaving
his way through the broken Hull defence, edged Wigan back ahead as he scored
from fifteen metres out.
A minute before the interval and there was a little more
daylight for Wigan as Jake Wardle took a pass in an acre of space for a walk-in
try. Keighran was unable to add the extras, but the Wigan players jogged into
the changing rooms with a ten-point advantage.
Four minutes after the restart Wigan scored a miracle try as
Abbas Miski somehow managed to ground before being dragged into touch by the
Hull FC defence. The referee sent the decision up as a NO TRY but there was enough
evidence for the fourth official to overrule and give the try. Keighran hit the
near post with his conversion attempt.
Any hopes of a Hull fightback were finally extinguished on
sixty-four with an eighty-five metre Bevan French sprint the line after a Liam Farrell
intercept and offload. Keighran added the extras to give Wigan a twenty-point
lead.
Nsemba got his brace on seventy-four, on hand to take a
Wardle inside pass for another walk-in try.
Keighran was unable to add the
extras but for the result of the game it was totally irrelevant.
The seventy-seventh minute sin-binning of Liam Knight for
late contact meant Hull were playing the closing stages a man down.
A confident win for the Warriors which illustrates the gulf
between the top two sides, Wigan and Hull KR, and the rest of the league who
are playing catch-up. The Airlie Birds managed to match their opponents strike
for strike for the first half hour, but once Wigan got their nose in front there
was no holding them back.
Hull FC: Pryce (T), Barron (T), Briscoe, Litten, Martin, Cust,
Sezer (G 2/2) Ese’ese, Bourouh, Knight (SB on 77), Hardaker, Ashworth, Asiata. Subs: Chamberlain, Aydin, Balmforth, Laidlaw.
18th Man: Kirby.
Wigan Warriors: Field (T), Miski (T), Keighran (G 4/7),
Wardle (T), Marshall, French (2T), Smith, Byrne, O’Neill, Walters, Nsemba (2T),
Farrell, Ellis. Subs: Thompson, Leeming, Eckersley, Hill. 18th Man: Farrimond.
Half-Time: 12-22.
Full-Time: 12-36.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 4-6, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12, 10-12,
12-12, 12-16, 12-18, 12-22 : HT: 12-26, 12-30, 12-32, 12-36, (SB) :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wigan – Square – Wigan – Square – Wigan.
Referee: Jack Smith.
