Hull FC beaten again at Warrington Wolves as Tom Briscoe scores late consolation try

Hull FC showed more of their rediscovered grit at Warrington Wolves on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 24-6 defeat. The Wire, who were solid in their victory, had a hat-trick of tries from Josh Thewlis to send them on their way, with the Black and Whites confined to their ninth Super League defeat from the opening ten rounds.

For Hull, who have pressed the reset button in recent weeks with a clear and new direction, it's a long, long road ahead to get to where they desire to be, but they're at least showing some fight under interim head coach Simon Grix. This was far from perfect, there's no getting away from that, but it's night and day from the heavy, gut-wrenching defeats earlier this season.

With attacking ball, there are still some significant strides to make, and defensively, while the desperation is there, they can still improve, but they're at least getting a response with what they're trying to do. They just need more quality, experience, and time together, which is clear to see, but ultimately, it's a side who are at least coming together as one, and that will aid their cause as they look to move forward in the future.

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The Black and Whites welcomed Jake Trueman back to their matchday side, with the half-back playing the second half and showing one or two glimpses. Elsewhere, there was a try-scoring second debut for Tom Briscoe, back at the club where it all started after signing an 18-month deal, with Cam Scott also returning after a head injury protocol.

Both sides were evenly matched early on on a wet weather night, with completion certainly favoured. That approach was best exemplified by Warrington, who built some pressure and eventually got over on their fifth consecutive set. Hull, meanwhile, fronted up to the occasion but after scrambling to deal with attacking kicks and edging their defensive line coast to coast, they eventually cracked, with Josh Thewlis finishing strong out wide for the opening score.

However, it didn't faze Hull, who cannot be faulted in terms of resilience and grit. They made the game a contest and had their chances to mix it with their hosts. Unfortunately, those chances went begging in the first half, with the away side failing to build on their good ball opportunities. They had their fair share, but an obstruction and a pass into touch let Wire off the hook.

Wire then scored again just before half-time, with George Williams in support to cross over after his half-back partner Josh Drinkwater, returning to the side, carved his way through. Their control was then asserted early in the second half, with Thewlis adding his second try after cutting back on the inside before showing a burst of pace. The winger soon completed his hat-trick, finishing strong again.

Hull were left to rue a couple of penalties given away for high shots, with Trueman coming on in the second half to replace Morgan Smith. And it was his quality pass that set Briscoe up to finish in the corner, with Trueman firing a slick assist to get Hull on the board. They then had further chances to hit back again, but Warrington shut them out, returning to winning ways after last week's setback at Salford Red Devils.

Teams

Hull Starting XIII: 31. Jack Walker; 44. Tom Briscoe, 43. Ed Chamberlain, 4. Liam Sutcliffe, 26. Lewis Martin; 19. Morgan Smith, 40 Jack Charles; 8. Herman Ese'ese, 9. Danny Houghton, 12. Ligi Sao; 17. Cam Scott, 12. Jordan Lane; 15. Joe Cator.

Interchange: 6. Jake Trueman, 20. Jack Brown, 45. Yusuf Aydin, 10. Franklin Pele

18th man: 37. Logan Moy

Warrington Starting XIII: Matt Dufty; Josh Thewlis, Toby King, Rodrick Tai, Aaron Lindop; George Williams, Josh Drinkwater; Joe Philbin, Danny Walker, Paul Vaughan; Matty Nicholson, Lachlan Fitzgibbon; Ben Currie

Interchange: Zane Musgrove, Adam Holroyd, Sam Powell, Max Wood

18th man: Joe Bullock

Scorers

Warrington Tries: Thewlis 3, Williams

Goals: Thewlis 4/4

Hull Tries: Briscoe

Goals: Charles 1/1

Scoring System: 6-0, 12-0, HT, 18-0, 24-0, 24-6, FT

Referee: Liam Moore

Attendance: 8,680

Read more: Highlights as Josh Thewlis hat-trick enough for Warrington Wolves to defeat Hull FC