Lee Radford expressed his relief as Hull FC kept their hopes of the treble alive courtesy of a narrow, below-par win against Wakefield.
Victory, Hull’s first since lifting the Challenge Cup against Warrington last month, ensures they remain in the hunt for the league leader’s shield – although Warrington can secure top spot with victory against Wigan on Friday night.
But defeat for Warrington will mean they face Hull in a compelling final-round fixture next week and Radford, after seeing his side win thanks to Mahe Fonua’s late try, said it was an evening where the result took precedence over performance.
“I’m over the moon with two points, Radford said. “It was a real eyesore of a game for 80 minutes but we played well last week against Wigan and got nothing from it – and this time of the year is about picking up two points: and that’s what we’ve done.”
Irrespective of the race for top spot, Hull’s hunt for a home semi-final in the play-offs remains in their own hands as tries from Fonua, Jordan Thompson and Danny Washbrook helped them successfully overturn an 8-0 first-half deficit to move to within a point of top spot.
“Hopefully Wigan will knock Warrington off,” Radford said. “We’d then have a chance to collect the shield at home which will be great for our fans. It wasn’t great tonight but they’ve played well all year and deserve a shot at that.”
“I’m very proud,” said the Wakefield coach, Chris Chester, whose side remain without a win in the Super 8s and are now guaranteed to finish no higher than eighth. “I thought for long parts of the game we were the better team, and it’s a massive step up from where we’ve been lately.”
Wakefield Jowitt; Lyne, Arundel, B Tupou, Johnstone; Hall, Finn; Anderson, Sio, Arona, Molloy, Ashurst, Harrison. Interchange Simon, A Tupou, Fifita, Batchelor.
Tries Arundel, Johnstone. Goals Finn 2.
Hull FC Shaul; Michaels, Fonua, Yeaman, Talanoa; Tuimavave, Sneyd; Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Manu, Washbrook, Ellis. Interchange Green, Bowden, Thompson, Paleaaesina.
Tries Washbrook, Thompson, Fonua. Goals Sneyd 3.
Referee C Campbell. Attendance 3,413.
