Spirited Hull FC fightback in vain as Warrington Wolves pinch late winner

There are many lethal components in sports, but few are more potent than speed. Hull FC know that more than most after a fiery clash at the MKM Stadium, with Matt Dufty's quick pair of heels saving the Warrington Wolves' blushes for a 24-18 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Charging down a drop-goal attempt, the ball fell at Dufty's feet, with the Wire speedster full-back rounding the Hull defence to score the winner out wide. It was his second try of the game inside the 78th minute, and it was enough for Sam Burgess' side to take the spoils in East Yorkshire.

It was also a heartbreaker for Hull, who had shown plenty of spirit in a commendable second-half fightback. Throughout the match, they took the game to Warrington, who had lost their last three fixtures going into the clash, including the Challenge Cup final.

Read more: Highlights as spirited Hull FC fightback in vain after late Warrington Wolves winner

Under Simon Grix, Hull are clearly a much more connected and committed team and are night and day from where they were earlier in the season. Of course, there's still a long way to go to get to where they desire to be, but the recent improvements are there to see. Hull showed a lot of desire, heart, spirit, and determination and just came up short.

There was plenty of endeavour in their performance, but ultimately, not enough execution. That was Hull's drawback and the reason Warrington, who deserved credit for fronting up in defence, won the game. The Black and Whites had the chances in both halves, with the Wire hanging on in what was, to say the least, an entertaining game.

Grix made one change to his side, with the impressive Will Gardiner coming in for Tiaki Chan. Elsewhere, Jed Cartwright, who has trained with the squad this week following his arrival from Australia, wasn’t risked, with the back row in attendance. For Warrington, George Williams and Josh Thewlis returned.

And it was the Wire who opened the scoring on their third set of the game. They got a penalty after Hull were caught offside on the kick chase, and they soon took advantage, scoring through Toby King out wide on the last tackle.

Hull then lost Tom Briscoe for a HIA (the winger passed and came back on), and once Cam Scott limped off the field to force a right edge reshuffle, things were looking ominous. However, the hosts showed bravery to get through it before throwing the kitchen sink at the away side. They had more possession and more territory but couldn't break through.

The chances kept coming, but although Hull built some pressure on the last tackle and forced some repeat sets, they couldn't land that decisive blow. Warrington continued to lose possession, and Hull had opportunities galore to hit back, but despite clear improvement in terms of how they shaped up in midfield, in defence, and as one team unit, they just weren't good enough in the final 20.

And once Briscoe failed to ground the ball out wide after Carlos Tuimavave's offload, Warrington gave them a harsh lesson in how to be clinical. Exchanging passes with Williams, Dufty burst through before weaving around the Hull defence to score.

That gave Wire a 12-0 lead at half-time. However, Hull came out the blocks fighting in the second half and finally got their reward as Denive Balmforth intercepted an inside pass just inside his own half to race away to score.

Initially, that respite was short-lived as Danny Walker took Max Wood's pass to score near the sticks, with Hull having it all to do again as the hour mark approached. They were dealt a further blow as Jack Ashworth, who ran strong off the bench and brought plenty of energy, hobbled off, with Ligi Sao then following suit.

But despite those adversities, Hull kept going, and after Tuimavave got them the field position with an interception, they made it count, with Balmforth's kick finding Liam Sutcliffe to score. Hull then drew level as Briscoe took Logan Moy's catch and pass to score on the scrum play, and after Ben Reynolds' superb touchline conversion, it really was game on.

However, with less than two minutes to go, Dufty landed the match winning blow, with Warrington taking the two Super League points by the skin of their teeth. Hull, meanwhile, take plenty of plaudits, but once again, the old adage is, you've got to take your chances.

Teams

Hull Starting XIII: 37. Logan Moy; 44. Tom Briscoe, 3. Carlos Tuimavave, 4. Liam Sutcliffe, 26. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Trueman, 47. Ben Reynolds; 8. Herman Ese'ese, 19. Morgan Smith; 45. Yusuf Aydin, 17. Cam Scott, 15. Jordan Lane; 12. Ligi Sao.

Interchange: 13. Brad Fash, 16. Jack Ashworth, 21. Will Gardiner, 28. Denive Balmforth. 18th Man: 23. Davy Litten

Warrington Starting XIII: 1. Matt Dufty; 2. Josh Thewlis, 3. Toby King, 14. Rodrick Tai, 5. Matty Ashton; 6. George Williams, 7. Josh Drinkwater; 8. James Harrison, 9. Danny Walker, 10. Paul Vaughan; 13. Matty Nicholson, 28. Adam Horoyd; 11. Ben Currie.

Interchange: 16. Zane Musgrove, 19. Joe Bullock, 32. Sam Powell, 34. Max Wood. 18th man: 29. Thomas Whitehead

Scorers

Hull Tries: Balmforth, Sutcliffe, Briscoe. Goals: Reynolds 3/3

Warrington Tries: King, Dufty 2, Walker. Goals: Thewlis 4/4. Sin Bin: Holroyd

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

Referee: Ben Thaler. Video Referee: Marcus Griffiths

Attendance: 10,083

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