Hull FC Reserves ran in ten tries as they cantered to a 56-6 victory over Huddersfield Giants Reserves at the University of Hull this afternoon.
Michael Shenton’s side managed the comprehensive win without a handful of key players on Yorkshire duty for the third match of the War of the Roses series this weekend.
But the seventeen present put in a complete performance at the University of Hull, with Max Clarke securing a hat-trick and Mackenzie Harman and Jacob Hookem claiming braces each.
The Match
Despite Hull enjoying the majority of their afternoon, it was actually Huddersfield that registered the first points of the match when Josh Rhodes capitalised on back-to-back penalties for the Giants, scoring underneath the posts with a powerful drive over the whitewash.
As the Black & Whites kept in the arm-wrestle, they were rewarded for their discipline and mental resilience when Hookem’s kick to the right corner was claimed and dotted down by Hull FC Sports College student Harry Walker on his Reserves debut.
The hosts took the lead for the first time on the 20-minute mark when some defence on the front foot forced a goal-line drop-out. Matty Laidlaw managed to get a quick play-the-ball away halfway through the set and Hookem danced over the try line from dummy half.
A couple of minutes later and Hull were in again. Quick hands to the left edge put Clarke in possession – he threw a dummy and sliced through a fatigued defensive line to score FC’s third try.
A fourth followed before the half-hour was up and it was Hull’s best try of the afternoon so far, as soft hands from Aidan Burrell send Laidlaw careering away. The prop looked to have been wrapped up by Huddersfield fullback Oliver Whitford, but he got an offload away to the supporting Harman on the inside, and the halfback only had to run 15 metres to get over.
Having squandered a couple of opportunities to get back into the contest, the Giants found themselves back underneath their sticks after a freakish Hull FC try. Laidlaw had the ball stripped in a one-on-one tackle, but Harman pinched possession straight back and raced away to score with no fullback at home for Huddersfield.
FIRST-HALF: Hull 30-6 Giants
There was no respite for the visitors at the start of the second half – it took FC less than one minute to pick up from where they left off at the end of the first half when Davy Litten leapt highest to collect a high Callum Rutland kick, with the fullback able to find a pass to Clarke on the inside for the centre to cross for his second try of the game.
More free-flowing play indicated the Black & Whites weren’t in the mood for showing mercy. Just a couple of minutes later, Hookem fed Conner Gilbey with a short, soft pass out of dummy half and the back-rower crashed over for his third try in two games, having not scored all season prior.
Hookem turned provider to scorer when he dummied his way over the try line down the shortside from a ten-metre penalty tap restart.
Shenton’s side got a ninth with 27 minutes remaining as the rest of the match looked daunting for Huddersfield. This time, Gilbey broke through a tackle from inside his half, and even though his pass to the supporting players on his outside went to ground, Clarke picked up the loose ball and coasted in towards the left corner, making it 50-6 after Callum Rutland’s touchline conversion struck the post.
Hull did eventually let up, but only after Harvey Barron raced away from Jayden Billy and Whitford from 80 metres away after making a cut-throat break from inside his own half early in the set.
Despite taking their foot off the gas in attack, there was a passion and desire to keep the Giants out at the other end of the field – Walker’s one-on-one challenge against Billy to force the Huddersfield winger into touch typifying Hull’s effort in the closing stages.
FULL-TIME: Hull 56-6 Giants
Squads & Scorers
Hull: Litten, Walker, Opie-Palmer, Clarke, Barron, Harman, Rutland, Dulson, Hookem, Gardiner, Stewart, Gilbey, Burrell
Hull Interchanges: Gibson, Laidlaw, Petrie, Trulson
Hull Tries: Walker, Hookem (2), Clarke (3), Harman (2), Gilbey, Barron
Hull Goals: Rutland (8/10)
Giants: Whitford, Billy, Carter, Shiels, Dean, Wainwright, Taylor, Knowles, Whitmore, Rhodes, Peel, Dayes, Gunn
Giants Interchanges: Campbell, Gibson, Morley, Siddique
Giants Tries: Rhodes
Giants Goals: Whitford (1/1)
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