The battle for the top six was the motivator for both sides
in a round seventeen match-up between sixth placed Hull FC and a St Helens side
who travelled east highly motivated to maintain their fifth spot.
A loss for the home side could see them usurped in the six
by Wakefield Trinity should they record a win over the Catalans Dragons in West
Yorkshire in the late afternoon kick-off.
A win for St Helens would lift them above Leeds Rhinos in
fourth on points difference, and more importantly, it would put them six
points clear of the side in seventh spot, and the bookies made the visitors slight
favourites and handicapped them by two points on the coupon.
Saints had won both previous 2025 encounter, by a massive
aggregate of 104-6, the home side needed this to be one of their ‘hot’ days and
for them to win their first home game this season.
A Saints penalty, following an Amir Bourouh tackle without
the ball, allowed Jonny Lomax to kick the goal for a 2-0 lead on twelve
minutes.
Within two minutes Saints got the first four pointed, Kyle Feldt
taking a looping pass from Tristan Sailor before stepping off his right foot,
spinning in the tackle and wrongfooting the defender to ground. Lomax put the
touchline kick directly between the uprights.
The home ‘hoodoo’ looked like it was going to strike again
for FC.
Hull had their chances inside the Saints twenty but couldn’t
break the line, a combination of robust Saints defence and handling errors at
crucial moments.
Back-to-back penalties for the Airlie Birds gave them a great
opportunity to register their first points with four minutes of the half
remaining but Lewis Martin failed to get the ball down in the left corner under
great cover tackling from the Saints defence.
Moses Mbye attempted a drop goal as the half time hooter
sounded, but it was probably best forgotten.
FC were clearly second best, but Saints would have hoped for
a bigger points advantage for their first half exploits.
Five minutes after the restart and Feldt grabbed his second
after he leapt to take an Mbye kick to the corner and drop over the line under
the tackle to ground. The Lomax kick went wide of the posts, Saints now twelve
ahead.
Harry Robertson was held up over the line on forty-nine as
Saints went for their third.
Two minutes later Hull created a try from nothing thanks to
an Aidan Sezer break down the middle of the field and a pass to Davy Litten to
outpace the chasing tacklers and ground in the corner. Zak Hardaker was on target with the conversion
for 6-12.
Another awful Mbye attempted drop goal on seventy was
charged down, Saints picking the ball up from an offside position.
It was game over on seventy-seven after Barron dropped a
high Saints kick on his own ten metre line. After four attempts at the line the
ball was moved by to Lomax who slotted over a drop goal for a seven-point lead.
The win puts Saints into fourth place, ahead of the Leeds
Rhinos on points difference but it leaves Hull FC vulnerable to drop outside
the top six should Wakefield win their round seventeen game. Hull FC continue
their abysmal home record which now extends to eleven months without a win. The
game wasn’t one for the purists, far too many errors from both sides, and
Saints will have been frustrated that they seemed to be holding on for long
periods and unable to open up a winning lead.
Hull FC: Hardaker (G 1/1), Barron, Rapana, Litten (T),
Martin, Cust, Sezer, Ese’ese, Bourouh, Knight, Ashworth, Chamberlain, Aydin. Subs:
Briscoe, Cartwright, Fash, Eseh. 18th Man: Charles.
St Helens: Sailor, Feldt (2T), Robertson, Whitley, Dagnall,
Lomax (G 2/3, DG), Mbye, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Wingfield, Knowles. Subs:
Paasi, Delaney, Stephens, Burns. 18th Man: Bennison.
Half-Time: 0-8.
Full-Time: 6-13.
Score Progression: 0-2, 0-6, 0-8 : HT: 0-12, 4-12, 6-12, 6-13
:FT.
Lead Exchanges: St Helens.
Referee: Liam Moore.
