Hull FC’s interim head coach Simon Grix expressed disappointment over the way his team suffered a heavy home defeat against St Helens, attributing the loss to poor decision-making by his players.
Lewis Dodd and Jake Burns each scored two tries, with additional tries from Tommy Makinson, Daryl Clark, Matt Whitley, and Agnatius Paasi helping St Helens end their five-game losing streak and relieve some pressure on head coach Paul Wellens. Despite a heavy 46-4 defeat to Leigh last week and the absence of England players Jack Welsby, Jonny Lomax, and Mark Percival, Saints proved too powerful for the weakened Hull side, who suffered their 17th defeat of the season.
Hull, missing 10 injured players and suspended Ligi Sao—who was red-carded in last week’s 24-16 loss to Catalans Dragons—scored a late consolation try through Jack Walker. Walker chased down Jake Trueman’s grubber kick, receiving a modest response from the home fans, with Jordan Lane converting the try.
“Their forwards dominated the physical aspects of the game, and it’s disheartening how we collapsed.
“I don’t believe the effort was lacking, but we made some very poor decisions and missed tackles, which caused the game to slip away from us.”
Wellens expressed relief at ending his team’s frustrating run of poor form, which had seen them fall behind Warrington Wolves, Hull KR, and Wigan Warriors to fifth place in the standings, below Salford Red Devils.
“We’ve broken our losing streak, which is crucial,” Wellens said. “However, we’re not under any illusion that we’re a finished product.
“There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and we need to get better.
“The challenges ahead will be tough, extremely tough.
“We need to meet those challenges, but I’m encouraged by what I saw today.”