Super League: Hull FC 6-60 St Helens - Saints confirm semi-final with 11-try demolition
- Published
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook opened his Super League try account for the season with a first-half brace
Betfred Super League |
|---|
Hull FC (6) 6 |
Tries: Walker, Goals: Gale |
St Helens (26) 60 |
Tries: Hopoate, Makinson 2, McCarthy-Scarsbrook 2, Hurrell 2, Davies 2, Mata'utia, Lussick Goals: Makinson 8 |
Leaders St Helens booked their Super League play-off semi-final spot with a 14th straight win over Hull.
Jack Walker gave Hull an early lead before Will Hopoate levelled things up.
Four tries in eight minutes put Saints 26-6 up at half-time as Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (two) and Konrad Hurrell crossed, and Tommy Makinson claimed his 150th Super League try.
Ben Davies (two), Hurrell, Makinson, Sione Mata'utia and Joey Lussick then completed an 11-try demolition.
An 11th win in 13 league outings moves Kristian Woolf's side six points clear at the top of the table with four games left of the regular season, following Wigan's defeat at lowly Wakefield.
In contrast, an eighth defeat in 10 matches was another blow to Hull's hopes of reaching the play-offs and they remain in eighth, three points outside the top six.
It had all started so well for the hosts when the ball was worked down the right for Jake Connor to send Jack Walker over in the corner.
Hurrell teed up Hopate's leveller on the half-hour mark, before Hull began to buckle under increasing Saints pressure.
McCarthy-Scarsbrook cashed in with his first tries of the season, with Hurrell and Makinson then taking the game away from Hull.
With the game well won, any home hopes that Saints might ease up in the sweltering heat evaporated as the relentless visitors added six second-half tries.
Davies, Hurrell and Makinson all completed doubles, Lussick went over and Mata'uita crossed on his return from a three-match ban as Hull shipped 60 points for a third time in seven matches.
Hull head coach Brett Hodgson told BBC Radio Humberside:
"I thought we started-off reasonably well, but once fatigue hits we had some decision-making by key individuals which created some opportunities for St Helens and then they ground us into submission so it was very disappointing.
"It's very frustrating, but it's also important to understand that the personnel we have at the moment is some players in their first years playing week after week, some kids coming through, some loanees, we have still got nine on the sidelines, so there are reasons.
"They are not excuses because we ultimately needed to perform better in key moments. At the moment when it's getting tough we are not able to deal with that adversity as a team."
Hull FC: Walker, McIntosh, Connor, Vulikijapani, Wynne, Smith, Gale, Taylor, Houghton, Evans, Lane, Longstaff, Fash.
Interchanges: Johnstone, Laidlaw, Lovodua, Satae.
St Helens: Hopoate, Makinson, Hurrell, Mata'uita, Bennison, Davies, Lomax, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Bell, Batchelor, Knowles.
Interchanges: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Paasi, Wingfield.
Referee: Ben Thaler.