Hull FC couldn’t quite hold on in the heat against Wigan Warriors and their interim coach Andy Last has given his verdict on the narrow defeat.
The Black and Whites were the better team for large parts of the game but they just couldn’t ice the game as their discipline and fatigue late out cost them in the 20-16 loss to Wigan Warriors.
Many expected a blowout score but given how close Hull FC came, Last was understandably proud of his side’s performance even if they couldn’t land the win.
“We knew it was going to be a massive challenge. Wigan are the best team in the competition at the moment, they’ve been absolutely red hot,” he admitted when speaking post-match on Sky Sports.
“I think the lessons that we learned from last week’s game against Wakefield was evident today. We didn’t dip our toes in and we got the physical side of the game right and we carried with some intent,
“We had some intent about us defensively. I thought the first 20 minutes was really, really good. It got the crowd into the game and it also let Wigan know that they were in for a contest.”
Last added: “I’m proud of the lads’ efforts, we just lacked a little bit of quality in a couple of key moments and just didn’t quite build enough pressure and when you do that against a quality side like Wigan, they’ve got some quality players and they punished us very late in the game.
“Harry Smith obviously found that running game and just got a couple of our blokes who were a little bit fatigued. That was the difference between the two sides at the end of the day.”
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Hull FC looking ahead to Magic
Harry Smith’s go-ahead try in the 72nd minute marked the first time in the game that Wigan led, highlighting how close Hull FC came to landing a famous win.
Looking ahead, Last spoke about his side’s injury situation, stating: “It’s just an ongoing process. We get a couple of back and then we lose a couple.
“I’m sure there’ll be some bumps and bruises from that attritional game against Wigan but I can guarantee that the 17 guys who pull on the shirt will be giving the best of themselves and that’s all we can do until the end of the season.”
The Black and Whites will be keen to get back on the pitch and right the wrongs and that sees them take on Hull KR at Magic Weekend, a game that Last said has been ‘ringed on the calendar’.
On that match, he said: “They’ll be hurting from yesterday’s performance against Leeds and we’re hurting from this game today. It sets up mouth-watering clash, which I’m sure the fans will love them. We’re looking forward to playing there.”
