Hull FC have another away win next to their name, their tenth of the season so far in all competitions, but they were made to work for it despite what ended up being a comfortable margin of victory, with John Cartwright’s side running out 38-6 winners at Salford Red Devils on Sunday afternoon.
Showing plenty of spirit, Salford, operating under a sustainability cap this season and with the heart and soul of their side ripped out after ongoing financial difficulties, had their moments, but it was the Black and Whites who were ultimately the stronger side. They were far from their best and, in truth, took a while to get going, but they clicked into gear enough to score seven tries and move back into the top six positions.
Without key duo John Asiata and Will Pryce once again due to injury, not to mention their starting back rowers, Hull were a little clunky, but they weathered the storm to come away with a satisfactory result that allows them to continue to control their own destiny.
And coming off the back of the woes of last year, that’s not a bad outcome as they step into the second half of the season, with some big games ahead, and none more so than over the next three or so weeks. But for now, it’s a job well done, not perfect, but a win, and in the grand scheme of things, that’s all that matters, with some solid performers and, at times, eye-catching tries.
Hull made two changes to their matchday side, with young gun Jack Charles coming in for his first appearance of the season at this level and Brad Fash returning after a spell on dual registration at Doncaster.
And it was Cartwright’s side who took the lead early on, with Cade Cust bursting through a gap to score from close range against his former club. But the visitors struggled to build on that lead at first, and it was Salford who, at that stage, deservedly hit back. The Red Devils were handed plenty of chances to threaten the scoreboard, and eventually, they did just that, scoring through Chris Hankinson, who took Jonny Vaughan’s offload to dive over.
After twenty minutes, Salford appeared to have the advantage, but Hull managed to score two unconverted tries to establish a half-time lead. They went over through Lewis Martin, with the winger dotting down for his 19th of the season after a good shift from Aidan Sezer and Davy Litten, who then went over himself, Sezer again involved, with the centre having too much strength after having one overturned by the video ref earlier in the half.
That was as good as it got for Hull in the opening forty. They struggled to build much fluency with Salford fronting up well. The struggling hosts, handing out four debuts to loan players, showed plenty of spirit throughout, albeit against a side that was off, to say the least.
However, they improved in the second half, hitting Salford again after the break, with Sam Eseh running a strong line off Jordan Rapana’s pass. That was just what the doctor ordered, and it gave Hull some breathing space.
They then extended their lead further through Zak Hardaker, who pinched one from dummy-half, and at 20 points to the good, that saw them home and dry. After a period of defending, Tom Briscoe then made the most of a Salford error to score a big milestone try—the outside back’s 173rd in Super League, drawing him level with Leon Pryce in ninth spot.
There was still time for Harvey Barron to dot down, with the winger, who had a try overturned minutes before, finishing strong in the corner, and with that, capping another win on the road.
Teams
Salford Starting XIII: 28. Nathan Connell; 45. Jonny Vaughan, 23. Chris Hankinson, 50. Toby Warren, 51. Sam Hill; 17. Esan Marsters, 1. Ryan Brierley; 18. Jack Ormondroyd, 54. Cain Robb, 10. Chris Hill; 22. Matty Foster, 52. Dan Russell; 13. Joe Shorrocks
Interchange: 20. Joe Bullock, 24. Harvey Wilson, 53. Tom Whitehead, 55. Kobe Rugless
18th Man: 29. Charlie Glover
Hull Starting XIII: 1. Jordan Rapana; 2. Harvey Barron, 5. Tom Briscoe, 20. Davy Litten, 22. Lewis Martin; 14. Cade Cust, 7. Aidan Sezer; 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bourouh, 40. Liam Knight; 4. Ed Chamberlain, 3. Zak Hardaker; 16. Yusuf Aydin
Interchange: 16. Jack Ashworth, 19. Brad Fash, 24. Jack Charles, 39. Sam Eseh. 18th Man: 27. Matty Laidlaw
Scorers
Salford Tries: Hankinson. Goals: Hankinson 1/1
Hull Tries: Cust, Martin, Litten, Eseh, Hardaker, Briscoe, Barron. Goals: Hardaker 3/5, Charles 2/2
Scoring System: 0-6, 6-6, 6-10, 6-14, HT, 6-20, 6-26, 6-32, 6-38, FT
Referee: Tom Grant. Video Referee: James Vella
Attendance: Not Given