Warrington Wolves v Hull FC verdict as Hull take the points in tale of two halves

Warrington Wolves hosted Hull FC at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in the first of two Super League matches on Saturday evening.

Warrington Wolves head coach only made one change to the side that beat St Helens in the Challenge Cup last week. Arron Lindop dropped out after suffering a broken jaw in that victory and he was replaced by Josh Thewlis.

It was a different story for Hull boss John Cartwright with numerous injuries in the forward pack meant a shuffle around across the park. Zak Hardaker moved from the centres to the second row and Jordan Rapana replaced him in the centres. That meant a Super League debut at fullback for Will Pryce with Cade Cust returning to partner Aidan Sezer in the halves.

Here’s our verdict of how Warrington Wolves v Hull FC unfolded on Saturday evening.

Hull FC take the two points in a game of two halves against Warrington Wolves

After a fairly even first ten minutes, it was the away side who got first blood on the scoresheet. Following a dropped ball from Matty Ashton, the Black and Whites got the ball back in Warrington’s half. Tom Briscoe got on the end of Jordan Rapana’s flick pass scoring on their first play from the scrum. Will Pryce was on kicking duties for the afternoon but missed the conversion.

Hull FC were in again just four minutes later to double their lead. Aidan Sezer’s high kick towards the sticks was collected over the line for Davy Litten to pop the ball down for his first Super League try of 2025. Pryce added the extras for a 10-0 lead to the travelling team.

Another Hull try followed a few minutes later when Tom Briscoe collected a bullet pass out wide from Cade Cust to get his second try of the afternoon. Warrington’s left edge was struggling to cope with Hull FC and the visitors kept on pushing.

Herman Ese’ese continued on his tryscoring streak with his fourth Super League try of the season. In typical ‘Hermanator’ fashion, he carried two Warrington defenders over the line with him to go under the sticks, just before he got subbed off. Pryce added the conversions to extend Hull FC’s lead to 20-0.

Warrington finally got some points on the board as captain George Williams took it upon himself to get over the line. He took on the Hull defence on the left-hand side and bumped off four Hull tacklers to get the Wolves’ first score. Marc Sneyd missed the conversion for a 20-4 score.

Litten grabbed his second of the game with a dinky kick through just seconds before the half-time hooter sounded. It ricocheted off Rodrick Tai for Litten to collect and run over the line. Pryce’s conversion gave Hull FC a 26-4 lead at half-time.

Both sides came out fighting in the second half and within five minutes, Hull FC were a man down. Jack Ashworth was sent to the sin bin for a late hit on Jordy Crowther. The Wolves capitalised on that with a Josh Thewlis try. Williams once again orchestrated a move out to the right and Thewlis caught Hull napping down the right. Another missed conversion from Sneyd closed the score to 26-8.

It was Williams again with another try assist after a host of Warrington attack, this time going to the left instead. He threw a looping ball out wide for Matty Ashton to collect and leap over the try line in typical Ashton style. Sneyd missed his third conversion despite him thinking it had gone in between the sticks. The Wolves trailed 26-12 with twenty minutes remaining.

Ashton was in again eight minutes later following a Paul Vaughan break down the middle. It’s then kicked across the field for the winger to collect and get over the line. Another failed conversion from Sneyd which he again disputed with the referee meant Warrington still had a 10-point deficit to claw back.

It really was a tale of two halves with Hull FC near to their best in the first half and Warrington trying just about everything in the second half.

Good day for

Hull FC’s pack. To say they were with depleted troops, the players who did step up definitely carried the team forward. Herman Ese’ese was his usual self, making extra metres per carry often with a player on two on his back. Ed Chamberlain and Zak Hardaker put in solid shifts in the second row, despite the former going off for an HIA test.

Bad day for

Warrington’s left edge. Hull FC seemed to target that side on numerous occasions in the first half and found a way through on several of those attempts.

Star man

Cade Cust. Whilst Aidan Sezer has got most of the halfback plaudits in 2025 for Hull FC, Cust has been quietly going about his business in both attack and defence. With two try assists today, the side looks much more balanced with him on the pitch.

Teams for Warrington Wolves v Hull FC

Warrington Wolves XIII: Matt Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Ben Currie, Rodrick Tai, Matty Ashton, George Williams, Marc Sneyd, Zane Musgrove, Danny Walker, Paul Vaughan, Adam Holroyd, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, James Harrison.

Interchanges: Sam Powell, Luke Yates, Joe Philbin, Jordy Crowther.

Hull FC XIII: Will Pryce, Tom Briscoe, Jordan Rapana, Davy Litten, Lewis Martin, Cade Cust, Aidan Sezer, Herman Ese’ese, Amir Bourouh, Liam Knight, Zak Hardaker, Ed Chamberlain, John Asiata.

Interchanges: Jack Ashworth, Yusuf Aydin, Sam Eseh, Logan Moy.

⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Warrington Wolves 16-28 Hull FC

Our unbeaten run on the road goes on 🥳🎉

⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @ecostrad pic.twitter.com/CzitkxNep2

— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) April 12, 2025