Pictures Eddie Whitham
WARRINGTON Wolves slumped to a fourth defeat in six Super League games as they were beaten 30-18 by Hull FC at Magic Weekend.
Daryl Powell’s side looked well placed with a 12-6 lead after dominating the first half and worries that they hadn’t scored enough points following that period proved well founded.
Hull, coached by former Warrington boss Tony Smith, blitzed them with five second half tries including a hat-trick for Josh Griffin.
With Catalans beating Wigan yesterday, the Wolves are now displaced from top spot in the table.
The return of Connor Wrench was one positive for Warrington and the young winger gave his side the lead when he raised high to catch a Josh Drinkwater kick to touch down.
George Williams capitalised on an error to race home under the posts and the Wolves were good value for a 12-0 lead.
But Danny Houghton kept Hull in touch, as well as some desperate scrambling defence that kept Warrington at bay.
You wondered whether the defensive efforts of the Hull side would hurt them in the long run, but it proved quite the opposite.
Griffin got his first from a short kick and then Adam Swift got over in the corner as Hull turned it around, even with Jake Clifford’s wayward boot.
A second try for Griffin, getting on the end of Jake Trueman’s cross-field kick, had them 20-12 to the good.
Warrington hit back through Wrench in the right corner and Stefan Ratchford’s touchline conversion brought them back within two.
A long range team score, started and finished by Tex Hoy, put breathing space between the two teams.
And when Matt Dufty dropped Clifford’s towering the kick Warrington were on the back foot again, with Griffin crossing for his hat-trick to seal the win.
Hull FC: Hoy; McIntosh, Scott, Sutcliffe, Swift; Trueman, Clifford; Fash, Houghton, Taylor, Griffin, Lane, Cator. Interchanges: Sao, Satae, Savelio, Lane.
Warrington: Dufty; Wrench, Minikin, Ratchford, Ashton; Williams, Drinkwater; Dudson, Clark, Vaughan, Currie, Harrison, Mata’utia. Interchanges: Bullock, Philbin, Walker, Green.
