If it wasn’t for the London Broncos safety net, Hull FC would find themselves propping up the Super League after the opening six rounds of the competition after an awful start to the season for Tony Smith’s men which saw them welcome the Huddersfield Giants to the MKM Stadium.
The Giants smashed the Airlie Birds out of the Challenge Cup a fortnight ago when they secured a 50-6 home win to progress into the quarter finals, the omens weren’t good for the home side.
A win for the Giants would lift them two places and into sixth spot in the table as they would leapfrog the Rhinos and the Red Devils and the bookies fancied the Giants win as the most likely outcome, the visitors being given a twelve-point start on the coupon.
Inside the opening minute, and on the last tackle of the first set of the game. Adam Swift was on a big overlap down the left to go in and ground by the left corner flag. Former Hull darling Jake Connor smashed his conversion through the uprights from the touchline for the dream start.
On eight minutes FC found their feet with Liam Sutcliffe spinning out of the Giants tackle and grounding over the line. Charles missed with the conversion, the home side still two adrift.
A terrible mix-up by the FC defence allowed the Giants to extend their lead as Adam Swift got his second taking an Esan Marsters pass for a walk in after Lewis Martin spilled the ball in the carry thirty from his own line. Connor found the target again for 12-4.
On nineteen Jack Murchie pounced on a Clune kick to the corner before taking a couple of steps and grounding, the FC renaissance was quickly being snuffed out. Connor hit the mark again for 18-4.
But on twenty-four a delightful kick from Charles was collected and grounded by Sutcliffe for his second of the afternoon. Charles hit the mark and the arrears back to just eight points.
Despite letting in some soft tries, the Giants were having fun on the attack and when Marsters took a bullet pass from Ash Golding he went in from ten metres for a simple try against awful defence. Connor kicked his fourth of the afternoon to put the Giants into a 24-10 lead.
It was a thirty-one-minute hat-trick for Swift as he stepped inside his marker and through a broken line off a one-handed Leroy Cudjoe offload. Connor was off target for the first time on the afternoon, the Giants heading out of sight.
Five minutes from the interval Luke Yates added the sixth Huddersfield try as he bust a weak tackle and used his strength to go ten metres to score. Connor added the conversion as the sheds beckoned.
The last action of the game saw Jack Brown sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Harry Rushton and on the restart the thirteen men were in again when Connor was the provider for Kevin Naiqama to go over in an acre of space. Connor added the conversion, a sensational forty for the Giants, a nightmare for the home side who left the field to heckling from their own supporters.
FC drew first blood in the second half when Nu Brown crashed over the line off a Franklin Pele pass to get the third Hull try of the afternoon. Charles added the conversion but there was little celebration from the Hull players or supporters.
There was an immediate response from the Giants with Tui Lolohea ripping through the Hull defence to ground one-handed in the left corner. Connor added a seventh goal of the afternoon as the Giants eyed the fifty.
On the hour mark Ligi Sao put in a late and high tackle on Jake Connor and was show the yellow card by referee Tom Grant.
The fifty came up on sixty-four when Lolohea went in for his second of the game as he supported inside to take an Adam Swift pass and go twenty metres to ground. Lolohea took over with the boot, Connor off the field, and added the extra two points for 52-16.
Six minutes from time Franklin Pele battered away three attempted tackles to score under the sticks for some minor FC consolation. Charles added the conversion to put Hull back to thirty points behind their opponents.
Two and a half minutes from time, Sao was yellow carded again for a low-level force attack to the head and from the resulting penalty the Giants worked to the FC line with Jake Bibby stepping inside and crashing to the ground under the tackle. Connor failed to add the conversion, the Giants recording a thirty-four-point win.
There is no denying that Hull FC are woeful at the moment, with little imagination in attack and no dedication in defence. But this was a clinical performance from a Giants side which has spluttered and started so far this season but who seem to have the measure of Hull as they have run in over one hundred points in the two encounters so far this season. The Giants are now into the top six, Hull FC licking their wounds and praying that London don’t find some form and string a couple of wins together.
Hull FC: Hoy, Martin, Sutcliffe (2T), Scott, McIntosh, Charles (2G), Smith, Ese’ese, Brown F (T), Pele (T), Okunbor (T), Sao (SB on 60 and 78), Lane. Subs: Brown J (SB on 38), Cator, Laidlaw, Moy. 18th Man: Gardiner.
Huddersfield Giants: Connor (7G), Bibby (T), Marsters (T), Naiqama (T), Swift (3T), Lolohea (2T, G), Clune (T), English, Milner, Wilson, Murchie, Cudjoe, Yates (T). Subs: Golding, Greenwood, Ikahihifo, Rushton. 18th Man: Russell.
Half-Time: 10-40.
Full-Time: 22-56.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 4-6, 4-10, 4-12, 4-16, 4-18, 8-18, 10-18, 10-22, 10-24, 10-28, 10-32, 10-34, (SB), 10-38, 10-40 : HT: 14-40, 16-40, 16-44, (SB), 16-50, 16-52, (SB), 20-52, 22-52, 22-56 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Huddersfield.
Referee: Tom Grant.
