Andy Last on Hull FC’s win at Leeds and the side’s infamous inconsistency.
Hull FC celebrate Lloyd Kemp’s try. (Image: Dave Lofthouse, Hull FC)
You’d forgive Andy Last and his head for being frazzled after his five-month spell in interim charge of Hull FC. The Black and Whites have been infamously inconsistent, but nothing sums them up more than the last two weeks, at least in terms of spirit, in terms of grit, commitment, tenacity and the like.
In the first half against Toulouse, those traits were non-existent, as Hull found themselves 30-0 down at half-time. At Leeds, those traits came to the fore and proved the paving blocks for what ended up being a satisfying final round victory over Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos on Friday night.
Running out 18-12 winners at Headingley, Hull fought tooth and nail and dug deep to defeat Leeds, recording just their eighth win of the Super League season but at least ending the campaign on a positive note on what was a sentimental night for the club, with Tom Briscoe playing the final game of his career and a handful of other players their final game before moving on to pastures new.
It was a win built on the aforementioned qualities, qualities that don’t necessarily require skill but that require heart, that require desire, determination and the like. Hull had them by the bucketload and despite a mountain of possession and field position against them, it was enough to get past the Rhinos and end on a high.
“Outstanding,” Last, summing up the game post-match, said. “Away to Leeds on the back of them hurting after losing in a big game against Wigan, to come up with that effort, performance and result is nothing short of amazing.
“They dominated position and possession but we consistently turned them away. Our spirit, desire, grit and determination were evident for everyone to see.
“In terms of metres, completion rates, and possession, they absolutely dominated us, but the one place they didn’t dominate us was on the scoreboard.
“We also came up with some nice tries. Tommy Briscoe got Logan Moy on a great line in to score his first try. Lloyd Kemp, who was outstanding, playing 80 minutes in the middle of the field. He made a thousand tackles. He came up with a great catch, composure and patience to get the ball down.
“Then Lenny Clark – it was a masterstroke from me putting him on when I did (Last smirks). It was his first touch and he gets us the win under the posts.
“It’s just a fantastic way to finish the season. I’m just pleased we aren’t in a position where we’re relying on other results to get us out of trouble. It was nice to confirm our position off the bottom by getting a win at Leeds.”
On the side’s inconsistency, Last continued: “That game typifies the season we’ve had. You just don’t know what you’re going to get with this Hull FC side.
“We all sit scratching our heads. Sometimes, honestly, the first 40 minutes at Toulouse, in comparison to the first 40 minutes here, are like two completely different teams. The challenge for next year is to get a level of consistency from week to week, game to game and day to day.
“We speak about it but that’s the big question that we need to answer. We need to dig deep and be consistent on a consistent basis.
“But that performance there was outstanding and we got a great result. We’ve played with so much spirit and effort and there have been many occasions where we’ve been on the wrong side of the result, but this time, we were on the right side. And it is a results-based business and this one was a great win.”