Jordan Johnstone says Hull FC went back to basics and played the long game in their 18-16 win against Warrington Wolves on Easter Monday.
Johnstone came into Brett Hodgson’s squad in the place of Danny Houghton to feature at hooker for the full 80 minutes, having missed out on Good Friday.
It was Johnstone’s pass that set Manu Ma’u up for the winning try with just three minutes remaining, as Hull secured a hard-fought win in a tussle with the Wolves.
“It was a great game and I actually thought Warrington played quite well, especially in terms of how many quick rucks they were getting, but we managed to hang in there and get the result through our grit and determination,” Johnstone said.
“I thought our middles were unbelievable carrying the ball out of yardage. Everyone knows that when we get into the opposition 20, we have the players capable of scoring points with threats all over the park.
“We had a chat in the changing room after the Derby about going back to basics and finishing our sets in the corners rather than trying to score on the back of every play and I thought we did that against Warrington. Our completion ratio was great.
“We knew at half-time when it was 12-12 that we were right in the fight. Knowing that if we could slow the ruck down in the second half, we were confident that we could get the win and thankfully we did.”
The Black & Whites ended a three-game losing streak, having suffered painful defeats to Wigan, Huddersfield and Hull KR within the space of just fifteen days.
Hull had been guilty of overplaying in all three defeats, but going back to basics and being patient proved to be just the tonic for the Airlie Birds.
Matty Ashton’s try just before half-time had pegged Hull back, having led twice in the first half, but Johnstone explained how the team managed to keep their composure at half-time and in the second half.
“It was just a case of trying to stay positive because, like I said, we were right in the game at that point and our completion ratio was really good in the first half,” he explained.
“The message at half-time was just to stay patient. That’s what we did and thankfully we managed to sneak one at the end to win it.
“After the game, we were talking again about making this place [the MKM Stadium] a fortress so it’s a tough place to come. I’m confident that we’ll be able to turn up and put in another strong performance against a good Catalans team this Sunday.”
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