Hull FC v Wakefield Trinity: Five takeaways as Airlie Birds show ‘play-off minerals’ in ‘Sharknado’ game

Following Hull FC’s 16-10 win over Wakefield Trinity at the MKM Stadium, here are our five key takeaways from the round 17 clash.

The top line

In the ultimate game of two halves, Hull FC ended their home-field curse with a 16-10 win over Wakefield Trinity, but boy oh boy did they have to work for it.

The Trin took a 4-0 lead after two back-to-back Max Jowitt penalties, and that lead grew to 10-0 after Jowitt finished off a delicious break from Harvey Smith.

But the hosts came out strong in the second-half. Zak Hardaker got things underway after burrowing over from short-range, and his score was swiftly followed up by a similar effort from Jordan Rapana.

Heading into the final minutes, winger Lewis Martin crept over the whitewash under strong defensive pressure to give his side their first win at home in a year.

That victory now puts Hull FC above Wakefield Trinity in the table, as the race for the top six heats up.

So bad it’s good

I mean, it was basically the Sharknado of rugby league games, wasn’t it?

At times, it was arguably the worst game of the season, only heightened by the fact it came after one of the best rounds of the campaign last weekend, but then again, it was utterly gripping.

The game had all the ebbs and flows of a properly good contest. Momentum shifted between the sides with seemingly every linebreak, big carry or sloppy play of the ball.

Far too often, the teams would gift their opponents a chance. Hull FC posted a measly completion rate of 57% in the first-half, which allowed the visitors to nab 10 points when they didn’t actually look like scoring one.

Penalties were also a major factor in the game, with Trinity the primary offenders – literally. Far too often, one would turn into two, or three, and then points. Take Zak Hardaker’s score in the second-half as a primary example of this, it came about after three back-to-back Trin penalties. You simply cannot gift tries like that out at this level.

But, even with the constant knock-ons, missed tackles or genuinely rookie errors, you couldn’t take your eyes off it.

I probably won’t be calling for a sequel anytime soon, but it was a proper guilty pleasure match.

What to make of Hull FC

If you didn’t know what to make of Hull FC before this game, they probably showed their identity in the second-half.

This win, aside from being gifted territory from Wakefield’s penalties, was built from some proper character. They’ve shown they have play-off minerals.

Last year, they probably would have crumbled in the second-half. They found themselves 10 points down against a Wakefield side who hadn’t really fired a proper shot, and injuries were beginning to pile up with Ed Chamberlain, Amir Borough, Jack Ashworth and Jed Cartwright all withdrawn, but yet they actually grew into the game and began to build some proper confidence throughout the game.

They returned to basics to get back into shape. Liam Knight, Herman Ese’ese, Sam Eseh and Ashworth all carried like angry freight trains when they touched the ball, which in turn allowed them to roll through their Trinity counterparts. From that, the likes of Aiden Sezer, Cade Cust and Jack Charles got themselves into proper positions to make something happen for themselves. It all blended well into a proper team performance, and one that again shows their progress this season.

They will certainly have better days this season, but this win is an important win, and it’s a win that shows their play-off minerals.

Frustration

Daryl Powell’s head will be on Mars after this performance, and with good reason too. This was such an un-Wakefield-like display based on their recent outings. Nothing seemed to go right for them tonight.

Powell’s side have played some truly dazzling code this season, especially last weekend against Catalans, but tonight there was just something off about them. There wasn’t their usual connection in attack, be it misplaced passes, sloppy knock-ons or just poor ends to sets, they couldn’t get their usual game going.

Again, that came under the spotlight in the second-half. Wakefield posted a 58% completion rate in the second-half after recording 82% in the first, which probably told the full story of their woes.

But what will annoy him the most is the transformation in their defence throughout the second-half. They found themselves rolled through the middle far too easily when they were producing heroic efforts in the first-half and even early into the second too, which then allowed FC to come back into the game and eventually run away with it.

This game was right there for the taking, especially after Eseh left two tries out on the pitch, but yet they somehow found a way to lose.

Ashes watch

As with any Super League game in the run-in, there were some players who put their hands up for Ashes contention.

Former Man of Steel Zak Hardaker was a real standout for the hosts in this win, and that performance will alert Shaun Wane, given it came at full-back, a position England need to fill right now.

But, on the flip side, Max Jowitt might have seen his hopes take a sour turn following an incredibly hot and cold display. His haul of 10 points would have pleased the England boss, but that was marred by repeated mistakes and penalties too. He has been so much better than that this season and will no doubt have better days later in the remaining rounds of the campaign as well.

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