Hull FC were defeated by Warrington at the MKM Stadium.
Picture by Matthew Merrick/SWpix.com – 29/08/2026 – Rugby League – Betfred Super League Round 25 – Hull FC v Warrington Wolves – MKM Stadium, Kingston upon Hull, England – Hull FC’s Arthur Romano.
Hull FC’s 2026 home campaign ended with defeat to Warrington Wolves on Saturday evening, with the Black and Whites falling just short despite a frantic second-half comeback, losing 16-14 at the MKM Stadium.
The man of the hour, Tom Briscoe, gave Hull hope going into the final ten minutes, scoring his final try on the ground that he made his name on as a teenager back in 2008, but it was the Wire who hung on, with Briscoe understandably emotional post-match as he addressed the Hull crowd after confirmation he will retire at the end of the season after a 19-year professional career.
Skipper for the day, Briscoe played his part in what was a tough and attritional game of rugby league in atrocious wet weather conditions, but it was Warrington who saw the contest out after striking twice before half-time and landing the winner early in the second half. That period proved to be Hull’s undoing, but their effort, grit, and spirit were unquestionable once again, albeit a little bit of quality was perhaps lacking.
Elsewhere, Harvie Hill was outstanding for Hull. His first stint in particular was excellent, with the prop working hard in defence, firm in contact, and also carrying the ball strongly in a first season that has certainly improved as it’s gone on.
Andy Last made one change to his matchday side, with Lloyd Kemp coming onto the interchange in place of Will Hutchinson. Elsewhere, Tom Briscoe played his final home game for Hull, with the club parading members of the 2016 Challenge Cup final-winning squad around the ground ten years on from their Wembley triumph.
In the early stages of the contest, Hull found themselves under pressure. They were asked to dig deep and roll their sleeves up with Joe Batchelor sin binned for a tackle on Warrington centre Aaron Lindop just two plays in, who subsequently failed his HIA.
Warrington had the better of field position, but Hull stood firm, with their outside backs diffusing kicks and shutting out shift plays. To their credit, they weathered the storm, quite literally as heavy rain poured down, and then began to get a foothold, completing sets and getting to their kicks.
It was a chess game in many respects, gritty, and the scoreboard was only moved via two penalty goals, with Warrington edging ahead through George Williams before Hull returned serve through Aidan Sezer.
The first try came deep into the first half, with Arthur Romano failing to deal with a Warrington kick. Logan Moy was then thrown in the deep end and the ball was dislodged and scooped up by Leon Hayes, who took the gift to pull Wire ahead.
The away side, smelling some blood, then went back to back, with Toby King getting a hand to another kick and palming it back for Matty Ashton to score in the corner. It was a sucker punch for Hull, who certainly couldn’t be faulted for effort or spirit but still found themselves ten points down at the break.
The second half was carnage with captain’s challenges, video referee decisions, and injuries, with Wire doing it tough, losing Luke Thomas to a knock. Ligi Sao was also sin binned, with Hull playing for 20 minutes a man down.
It was a mountain to climb after Josh Thewlis scored a soft-looking try, but Hull, who recovered well, were much better upon the re-introduction of James Bell. They got more mileage into the ball and soon got their reward, keeping the play alive and finding joy out wide as Ethan O’Neill dived over in the corner to score.
Warrington were then offside from the resulting kick-off, giving Hull the chance to go back-to-back, and they did just that, with Briscoe running a strong line off Aidan Sezer to score.
That brought Hull within two points and a chance to salvage something from the game. They continued to push downfield, but Wire, recording their sixth consecutive win in Super League, held on by the skin of their teeth. For Briscoe and Hull, that was that, with the winger, one of the game’s true good guys, reflecting on an outstanding career post-match.
Teams
Hull Starting XIII: 24. Logan Moy; 2. Harvey Barron, 3. Davy Litten, 19. Tom Briscoe, 5. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Arthur, 7. Aidan Sezer; 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bourouh, 10. Harvie Hill; 11. Joe Batchelor, 39. Ethan O’Neill; 15. James Bell.
Interchange: 16. Sam Lisone, 18. Ligi Sao, 21. Arthur Romano, 32. Lloyd Kemp. 18th Man: 22. Connor Bailey
Warrington Starting XIII: 2. Josh Thewlis; 4. Albert Hopoate, 23. Arron Lindop, 3. Toby King, 5. Matty Ashton; 6. George Williams, 19. Leon Hayes; 16. Liam Byrne, 9. Danny Walker, 10. James Harrison; 20. James Bentley, 12. Sam Stone; 13. Ben Currie.
Interchange: 14. Sam Powell, 25. Max Wood, 22. Joe Philbin, 21. Luke Thomas. 18th Man: 17: Jordy Crowther
Scorers
Hull Tries: O’Neill, Briscoe. Goals: Sezer 3/3
Warrington Tries: Hayes, Ashton, Thewlis. Goals: Williams 3/4
Scoring System: 0-2, 2-2, 2-8, 2-12, HT, 2-16, 8-16, 14-16, FT
Referee: Chris Kendall. Video Referee: James Vella
Attendance: 12,255