By DANNY LOCKWOOD
YOU’D think it‘s a bit of a dream gig as a rugby league fan, being the owner of a newspaper like League Weekly, wouldn’t you? Think again.
When a grandee of the game like Dave Hadfield announces that he fancies doing the Wigan-Saints game instead of Hull-Catalans, automatic relegation is a very real prospect, boss or not. I hope you enjoyed the big derby clash Hadders because it had to be better than this.
Sure, Black and White fans enjoyed everything about it – why wouldn’t they? Potential banana skins need some delicate negotiating – especially when you’re a week away from the big day out at Wembley.
The coach is tempted to nurse one or two of his star names (Gareth Ellis, Liam Watts, Sika Manu) and the 17 on show are mindful of not picking up an injury or putting themselves in front of the disciplinary. Many a Challenge Cup final dream has ended in heartbreak that way. And many an expected two points has been dropped along with way.
As such, both the fixture and injury gods were smiling benevolently on Lee Radford and Hull.
Catalans were down to the bare bones and I could sense a few groans from anyone trying to flog tickets for the France versus England Four Nations warm-up fixture in October, because when the Super League team has to rely on predominantly French talent, they look second rate.
They had very little to show the table toppers in the absence of Carney, Myler, Bosc, Inu, Richards, Mason, Broughton, Horo, Anderson … (and the Rhinos thought they had it tough with injuries!)
Having seen their top four hopes realistically sunk the week before at St Helens, this was a Dragons team low on both resource and confidence.
It didn’t quite turn into a practice session of unopposed rugby, but Hull hardly had to bust a gut. And it was a match tailor-made for playmaker-in-chief Marc Sneyd, who was able to go through his full repertoire with hardly a hand laid on him in anger.
Kicks for the first two tries – one grubber, one lofted – hands for the third, a couple of 40/20s, a try of his own and a barrowload of target practice to boot.
What wasn’t to love? The Catalans got stuck in for the first 10 minutes until that fatal predilection for giving up cheap ruck penalties piggy-backed Hull up field for the first of their seven tries.
When they did fashion decent position they struggled to find a cutting edge. Referee Phil Bentham and his touch judges allowed a very liberal interpretation of their forward passes at times, but it mattered not. When they weren’t giving more penalties they were just stone-cold dropping the ball.
This team’s race is well and truly run after a compelling first half of the season when they looked like contenders. Now it’s back to the drawing board with coach Laurent Frayssinous hoping his boss Bernard Guasch buys the injury jinx excuse and keeps signing cheques for more imports. (continued below)
Eighteen points in that 18 minute middle spell of the first half, and a couple of Sneyd penalties to take them into the sheds, meant that Lee Radford’s main second half concerns were negotiating them without any injury dramas.
Poor Jordan Sigismeau spilled three consecutive carries that cost scores (albeit two of them the 38th and 40th minute penalties) and the last of them saw Mahe Fonua cross as the scoreboard ticked to 28-0.
Shortly after that, Fonua went down under one of those horrible, awkward-looking tackles that can wreck an ankle or a knee. When he got up and jogged back into position, Radford’s sigh of relief was probably measurable on the Beaufort scale.
The one (nice) headache he was left with was filling his bench for Saturday.
Having not seen Bradford-bound Leon Pryce for an age, his chances of signing off at the top level with another Wembley appearance seem
remote.
Dean Hadley, Josh Bowden and Chris Green put themselves about manfully in the quest for what is probably just one remaining spot.
With a couple of extra days recovery on their opponents Warrington as an added bonus, Hull FC will be heading down the M1 in great spirit, form, with a fair wind and a mass of faithful black and white fans at their back.
It’s in their own hands now.
