Superleague at it’s finest…
Tonight, despite the referee and the first half not going in our favor, I saw an amazing game of rugby league at the KC Stadium.
The atmosphere was astounding from the get-go. There was a sense of expectation around the place. Sure we knew Saints had some key players out and we had some returning giants to help us but, having beaten Saints at their place in our season opening clash it was felt that we might be able to do the double.
We had a minute’s silence for Rugby League Garry Purdham and other victims of the shootings in Cumbria which was observed flawlessly by the crowd and players.
It started ok, we scored the first try but then, it all went a bit Pete Tong. Saints seemed to run away with it and from expecting us to put up a robust battle we were now facing by the end of the first half the specter of a thrashing of the sort meted out to our cousins across the city, Hull KR (who have been thrashed by more than 50 points by Saints twice this season).
To be fair, most of the ire of the fans (and the players) was directed at the “Referee” Phil Bentham who was we concluded, either blind or willfully biased towards a Saints side that seemed to be able to do no wrong and who benefited from numerous penalties against us.
The second half beckoned and the crowd got behind the boys and it was evident that something drastic had been said at half time because they looked a different side altogether. FC suddenly had pace and drive and pushed Saints back all the way. O’Meley’s hit on Roby was hard, and it resulted in Roby leaving the field to applause from BOTH sets of fans.
That incident seemed to spark FC into overdrive and with a succession of tries without response by Saints we found ourselves unbelievably 26-26 with 6 minutes to go. There followed 2 attempts at a drop goal by FC (both Long) and one by Saints until in the dying minutes we ended up within distance of the Saints line and Danny Tickle kicked for a point that marked the culmination of an immense and quite honestly astounding comeback fro FC.
Hull FC 27 – 26 Saints
Quote of the evening on the RL Forum in this thread by Ian P:
Firk me. Danny – I will have your babies.
Awesome result – well done lads!
