Day two, game four, of the Magic Weekend in Newcastle
delivered a lop-sided, on paper at least, match up between fifth placed Hull FC
and a Huddersfield Giants side who had so far not delivered a single point in
Super League 2025.
The Giants had been given a fourteen-point start on the
handicap coupon with everyone backing a win for Hull FC which would lift them
above the Rhinos and back into fourth place in the table, however, a much-needed
win for the Giants would lift them above Salford on points difference and could
kick-start what has so far been an awful season.
FC won the meeting between the two sides in round three by a
single point having lost the previous five encounters, and the Giants have a
track record of performing well at the Magic Weekend.
There was nothing to choose between the two sides in the
opening quarter of an hour and when presented with an opportunity to take the
lead on seventeen, George Flanagan kicked a penalty goal to edge the Giants
into a 2-0 lead.
On twenty-six the first try of the game also went the Giants
way, Leroy Cudjoe took a great pass from Adam Clune and danced his way to the
line from twenty metres out to score under the sticks. Flanagan added the
conversion for 8-0, Huddersfield looking good for the lead.
On thirty the Airlie Birds struck back, Herman Ese’ese
taking a John Asiata offload to go through a gap in the line and crash over from
two metres out. The try was scored under the sticks to give Aidan Sezer a
simple goal to reduce the arrears to two points.
A shoulder charge from Tom Burgess on Asiata, after the Hull
man passed, saw the Giants substitute sin-binned for the last three minutes of
the first half, and the first seven of the second. Within a minute a miracle
tackle from Flanagan prevented Cade Cust from grounding to preserve the Giants
lead.
Tempers boiled over, not for the first time, with thirty
seconds of the half remaining. The incident was instigated by Sam Eseh on Matty
English with a shoulder charge, but players ran in from across the field.
Referee Moore sin-binned Eseh, both sides down to twelve.
As the hooter sounded a shoulder charge without mitigation
from Liam Knight on Sam Hewitt saw a red card brandished, the Hull man sitting
out the rest of the game. Flanagan attempted a massive penalty kick from
fifty-five metres, but the ball dropped ten metres short of the sticks.
Both sides made mistakes in the opening plays of the second
half, the Giants with most of the territory.
On fifty-four a looping pass to the wing from Clune found
Jacob Gagai in space down the right wing, the ball going perfectly to hand for
a walk-in try. Flanagan pushed his conversion attempt across the face of the
posts, the Giants six points up.
Three minutes had passed when Davy Litten put in a divine
pass to Lewis Martin who finished in the left corner to put Hull back within
two points of the Giants. Sezer was wide with the conversion, the Giants hanging
on by a thread.
Pryce succumbed to the pressure of the onrushing Clune when
he dropped a high kick on his own twenty on sixty-two. Interference from Zak
Hardaker saw another six but when Adam Swift went for the line, he was halted
by Cust and offloaded to an opponent.
As the game entered the last ten it was still anyone’s game.
There was plenty of panic football in the closing ten but the Giants defence held firm and they secured a great win.
This was a crucial win for the Huddersfield Giants and a
terrible loss for Hull FC as the claret and gold broke their 2025 duck and Hull
missed their chance to go fourth with a possibility that they will end the weekend
in sixth spot. Luke Robinson will be delighted that his side continued their
Magic Weekend record to take the two points which lifts them off the bottom of
the table above the Salford Red Devils.
Huddersfield Giants: Flanagan (G 2/4), Gagai (T), Milne,
Halsall, Swift, Rush, Clune, Wilson, Woolford, Greenwood, Hewitt, Bibby Jake,
Cudjoe (T). Subs: Golding, English, Burgess (SB on 37), Bibby Jack. 18th
Man: Billington.
Hull FC: Pryce, Barron, Briscoe, Rapana, Martin (T), Cust,
Sezer (G 1/3), Ese’ese (T), Bourouh, Knight (SO on 40), Hardaker, Chamberlain,
Asiata. Subs: Briscoe, Aydin, Ashworth, Eseh
(SB on 39). 18th Man: Balmforth.
Half-Time: 8-6.
Full-Time: 12-10.
Score Progression: 2-0, 6-0, 8-0, 8.4, 8-6, (SB), (SB), (SO)
: HT: 12-6, 12-10 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Huddersfield.
Referee: Aaron Moore.
