A dominant second-half display from Warrington saw them run in seven tries at the KCOM Stadium to dismantle Hull FC and earn their first away win of 2020.
Wire made one change to last week's lineup, with Anthony Gelling returning in place of Keanan Brand. The Wolves were in front after just four minutes with a lovely try from Blake Austin, stepping into a gap and grounding the ball for his first score of the season. A terribly error-strewn first-period from both teams ended with Tom Lineham crossing after nice hands from Ben Currie and Toby King. Stefan Ratchford converted both Wire tries for a 12-0 lead at half-time before a King offload sent Widdop free for a try and though Ratchford missed this conversion, the scoreboard was extended again moments later when Austin and Widdop put Gelling into a gap to score. An Austin reverse pass was latched onto by Ben Murdoch-Masila for his third of the season, which Ratchford converted, before a step from Widdop got him his second after a Daryl Clark offload, and Austin also notched a brace courtesy of a lovely dummy. Widdop scored his first Wire goal before FC finally got on the board in the dying moments through Kieran Buchanan to prevent a nilling, though it wasn't enough to keep Lee Radford in a job, as the Hull FC coach was relieved of his duties immediately following the match. Here are my six major talking points from the win...
1) They're not half good...
It's been a while in the waiting but that was an instrumental performance from Warrington's two half-backs, Gareth Widdop and Blake Austin, both of whom scored twice. Austin in particular was majestic, causing Hull all manner of problems near the line with dummies and steps that became his trademark last season. Yes, this was Austin of old, on the ground that he announced himself so spectacularly last season. He kicked a 40/20 too. Widdop was terrific as well, particularly in the second half, with his two tries coming at the end of nice handling from King and Clark. It was particularly pleasing to see Austin and Widdop combine for Gelling's try.
2) Toby with a King's performance
I have been slightly critical of Toby King this season but he's been rock-solid in the last two games and put in a starry performance here. His handling skills have improved dramatically in recent weeks, with two assists tonight, for Lineham and Widdop. The centre was impressive defensively too and if he can replicate this level of performance on a consistent basis, will become a very good player.
3) The left edge of glory
The left edge was Wire's weakness last season but it's been superb so far in 2020, conceding just one try all season, and that was when we were down to 11 men against Wigan in the first round. Lineham, King and Currie have all taken their defensive games to a new level this year but what's also impressive is how often the three of them are combining in attacking situations. Lineham has scored four times this season - Wire's top scorer - and it's no coincidence.
4) The right balance
This game, once it got beyond the scrappy first 30 minutes, felt like the first time in a while that Wire had successfully struck the balance between defence and attack. Steve Price's men didn't concede a point for 79 minutes and defended resolutely against an albeit beleaguered Hull FC team. In racking up 38 points though, Wire recorded their biggest haul of points since April 2019. Seven high-quality tries and some lovely set moves to get the scores made it a very pleasing night, even if the start to the game was extremely error-strewn from both teams.
5) Who's going to kick the goals?
It was interesting to see Gareth Widdop on goal-kicking duties for the final conversion attempt of the night, after Stefan Ratchford had endured a mixed night with the boot. Widdop has been England and St George's goal-kicker for years and I expected he would take over the reins at Wire too, though this has not happened yet. Perhaps this was to give Widdop a taste for it with a view to him becoming the regular choice later on in the year.
6) Positive signs
The last two matches have seen a gritty and impressive reaction to the Headingley debacle a couple of weeks ago. After grinding out a win last week, Wire put on a show in the second half tonight and exhibited some of their attacking talent and prowess, and but for a bit more poise and luck would've had two more tries from Gelling and Ratchford. The defence looks to be back to its usual high standard and things are starting to click in attack with Austin and Widdop. With winnable fixtures at Hull KR and Catalans at home to come having just defeated table-topping Castleford and the much-fancied Hull FC, maybe things are starting to look up for Steve Price.
Player Ratings
Stefan Ratchford - 9/10
Extremely solid in defence, offered plenty in attack and was very unlucky not to have a try.
Tom Lineham - 9/10
Clever finish for his try and very good in defence. Having a good season so far.
Toby King - 9/10
Easily his best performance of the season. Great hands to set up two tries.
Anthony Gelling - 7/10
Looked a little rusty though at least grabbed a try, albeit he should've had another.
Josh Charnley - 7/10
Works so hard bringing the ball from his own touchline. Little sloppy for the FC try.
Blake Austin - 9/10
A mercurial half-back performance. FC couldn't live with him - he terrorised their defence.
Gareth Widdop - 9/10
A classy performance from Widdop saw him score two tries and link up well for other scores too.
Chris Hill - 8/10
Very solid showing from the skipper as Wire found the go-forward they needed.
Danny Walker - 7/10
Less involved than last week but still shifted the ball well in the early stages.
Mike Cooper - 8/10
Another excellent prop performance. Was getting offloads away all night.
Ben Currie - 9/10
He is having a superb season. Good hands all night and great chase to prevent Tuimavave scoring.
Ben Murdoch-Masila - 8/10
A thumping run for his try and one or two big hits also.
Jason Clark - 8/10
A very busy performance - the Aussie forced a lot of FC's handling errors with his work.
Daryl Clark - 8/10
Very impressive from the bench. Great work for Widdop's second try.
Joe Philbin - 8/10
Brilliant energy and drive as always coming on.
Sitaleki Akauola - 7/10
A longer and more fruitful stint with one superb carry.
Jake Mamo - 6/10
Wasn't on for long but saw a fair bit of the ball in that time.
Daniel (@aloosewire)
No comments:
Post a Comment