Hull FC were beaten once again.
Hull FC forward Yusuf Aydin is shown a red card by referee Tara Jones.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull FC’s 2026 season is slipping away with the 12-man Black and Whites defeated 16-14 at Bradford Bulls on Sunday afternoon.
Andy Last’s side had to play the final 32 minutes a player down after Yusuf Aydin was sent off for a tip tackle on Bulls full-back Caleb Aekins. And in what can only go down as a moment of madness, he can have no complaints about it, with referee Tara Jones showing the red card and the Bulls having the necessary quality to see off the visitors, who were poor again, sluggish, and off the pace required to win games at Super League level.
In truth, it was a dour-affair at Odsal, with free-flowing rugby league a rarity. A tight battle, five penalty goals were traded in the first half as both sides struggled to find space on the narrow Odsal pitch. Opportunities were few and far between in what was a scrappy affair, with both sides trading errors throughout, Ultimately, it was Bradford who posed the bigger threat after the break, getting the job done and ended a run of five successive defeats.
The Black and Whites made three changes, with Harvey Barron and Ligi Sao back in the side after injury. Loan signing Ethan O’Neill also made his debut off the bench. Meanwhile, Bradford fielded former Hull forward Will Gardiner, up against his hometown club for the first time, with another ex-Airle Bird, Jayden Okunbor, also returning from injury.
Under the cosh from the very first set, with the wind catching the opening kick off and Lewis Martin tackled into touch. However, Hull, who lost Brad Fash to a leg injury inside six minutes, fronted up well. They had to repel their goal line several times early on and scrambled hard to shut the Bulls out before opening the scoring through a Zak Hardaker penalty goal at the other end.
Logan Moy thought he had extended the lead soon after, put his try was ruled out by the video referee for an obstruction. Bradford then levelled the scores through a penalty goal before Hull, who lost Davy Litten for several minutes after a big collision, edged themselves ahead once again through the tee.
The Bulls made it all square again through a penalty goal, and after a late hit was judged on kicker Jayden Nikorima, penny for Aidan Sezer’s thoughts… they took the lead for the first time with their third goal, edging a tight first half 6-4.
The second half started in the worst possible fashion for Hull, with Aydin receiving his marching orders, and with the numerical advantage, the Bulls soon extended their lead, scoring through Waqa Blake after Zac Fulton broke the line. The home side had chances to extend that lead, but it was Hull who hit back, with Zak Hardaker kicking through for Joe Batchelor to score the club’s 15,000th try since rugby league was established back in 1895.
Hardaker then levelled the scores, but the Bulls soon bundled Harvie Hill back over the try line on the resulting kick-off, gaining back possession. And they made it count, with Ethan Ryan finishing superbly to score in the corner.
Camped on Bradford’s line, Hull kept the ball alive through Sao and Logan Moy and got their reward, with Litten finishing airborne out wide. However, Hardaker’s conversion attempt hit the post, and after one last roll of the dice from the away side, the Bulls hung on.
Teams
Bradford Starting XIII: 1. Caleb Aekins; 2. Jayden Okunbor, 17. Ed Chamberlain, 4. Waqa Blake, 5. Ethan Ryan; 6. Jayden Nikorima, 32. Chris Atkin; 15. Eribe Doro, 9. Andy Ackers, 10. Loghan Lewis; 12. Zac Fulton, 11. Dan Russell; 19. Will Gardiner
Interchange: 28. Jamie Gill, 25. Elliot Peposhi, 21. Sam Hallas, 22. Luke Hooley. 18th Man: 23. Connor Wynne
Hull Starting XIII: 24. Logan Moy; 2. Harvey Barron, 19. Tom Briscoe, 3. Davy Litten, 5. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Arthur, 7. Aidan Sezer; 18. Ligi Sao, 9. Amir Bourouh, 10. Harvie Hill; 11. Joe Batchelor 4. Zak Hardaker; 23. Brad Fash.
Interchange: 14. Cade Cust, 16. Yusuf Aydin, 38. Jeremiah Mata’utia, 39. Ethan O’Neill. 18th Man: 27. Callum Kemp
Scorers
Bradford Tries: Blake, Ryan. Goals: Atkin 4/5
Hull Tries: Batchelor, Litten. Goals: Hardaker 3/4
Scoring System: 0-2, 2-2, 2-4, 4-4, 6-4, HT, 10-4, 10-10, 16-10, 16-14, FT
Referee: Tara Jones. Video Referee: Chris Kendall
Attendance: 7,815