Hull FC head coach John Cartwright reacted after his side were dismantled by Wigan Warriors on Friday night with the Black and Whites coach claiming the scoreline was inexcusable despite Wigan’s ‘freakish’ talent.
After securing an upset win on the road against Catalans in Round One, hopes were high as almost 15,000 turned out to watch Hull FC take on Wigan but that optimism was quickly crushed.
Wigan raced into a lead and finished up as 46-4 victors as the champions bounced back from their 1-0 loss with a bang, setting them up nicely for their trip to Las Vegas.
Head coach Matt Peet spoke on the talent of full-back Jai Field who scored a hat-trick and Cartwright was another to reference the Warriors’ “freakish” players, though he noted that was no excuse for the huge scoreline.
Speaking post match about his team, Cartwright said: “They’re disappointed, no-one wants to let a home crowd down like that but I thought the effort was there for a lot of the game but they’ve got some real freakish players who come up with tries that only freakish players can do. But that’s no excuse for the scoreline.”
Hull FC ‘nowhere near the mark’ admits John Cartwright
⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Hull FC 4-46 Wigan Warriors
Wigan take the two points.
⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @ecostrad pic.twitter.com/bLnGkYik7z
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) February 21, 2025
It’s certainly a result that brings the Black and Whites back down to earth after their 22-4 win over Catalans, but they did face far superior opposition. Making matters worse was the fact that Cartwright confirmed a trio of injuries, including Ligi Sao who was stretchered from the field.
Assessing the game and whether it was a case of Wigan being supreme or Hull FC being poor, Cartwright surmised that it was a little bit of both.
“We played against a really classy team who played some really attractive football,” he said.
“We had to be at our best physically and technically and unfortunately we were nowhere near the mark. I just thought that we were hanging on all game, there were a couple of turning points in the first half with poor kicks at the end of sets.
“They took advantage of their chances, they’re a very strong team who will be there at the end of the year come Grand Final time. It was a bit of that and bit that we weren’t quite where we needed to be.”
The win last week and the change in ownership has certainly brought optimism about and that was evident with the crowd of 14,751, whom Cartwright applauded whilst declaring his side must be better.
He said: “It was a fantastic crowd and a great atmosphere and they stayed till the end, I thought they saw a bit of fight at different stages but the scoreline isn’t good enough and we’ve got to be better.”
Looking ahead to Round Three when Hull FC face Huddersfield, he stated: “Every week is important, you don’t want to lose any game but it will be the same as if we won. It’s a must win game for us.”
