There can be little doubting Hull FC have been the game’s great underachievers. Only one major trophy and one Grand Final appearance over nearly two decades is scant reward for a club with such dedicated support.
While there have been a few false dawns, fans from the west side of the city will be hoping their 19-0 victory at Huddersfield to kick off the season is more than just another.
It was the performance of the opening weekend of Super League XX. Hull were simply magnificent, as they proved to be the unlikely first side to record a shut-out in this season’s competition.
“Without being spectacular, I thought we were really astute,” said the Hull coach, Lee Radford. “We were on the button and the most pleasing aspect is a complete team performance from all the guys out there.”
While Hull were exceptional, Huddersfield were woeful in equal measure. Top-four finishes for the last two seasons mean hopes are high that the Giants can challenge again in 2015 but this was far from the ideal start.
It ultimately represented the first time the Giants have failed to score a point in well over three years – September 2011, to be precise, and the 47-0 drubbing against Warrington in the play-offs.
“I just didn’t think we gave ourselves a chance,” said Huddersfield’s coach, Paul Anderson. “Hull were good and we lacked a bit of cohesion and timing on occasions. They were a bit more clinical than we were, in truth.”
The first half offered little in the way of entertainment or clear-cut chances which, given how it is the opening weekend of the season, is perhaps to be expected. There was a solitary try and it came via some great work from the excellent Marc Sneyd.
Sneyd is perhaps under more pressure than most after a big money move to Hull, following a superb breakthrough year at Castleford in 2014. This game highlighted the diminutive scrum-half at his finest, though, and it was his clever feet that opened the space for Hull to score via Fetuli Talanoa.
A Sneyd penalty made it 6-0 at the break, before a superb kick from Sneyd found Jamie Shaul, who crossed for the first of his two tries. He would follow it up seven minutes later with the try of the game, dancing his way around the below-par Danny Brough to make it 18-0. There was still time for Sneyd to add a drop-goal to rub further salt in the wounds, and send Hull’s boisterous band of followers back down the M62 with spirits soaring.
Leeds fought back to defeat Hull Kingston Rovers 40-30 while Wakefield upset their local rivals Castleford with an unexpected 24-22 win.
Huddersfield Murphy; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Broughton; Brough, Ellis; Huby, Robinson, Kopczak, Ferres, Hughes, Bailey. Interchange Crabtree, Lunt, Ta’ai, Mullally.
Hull FC Shaul; Lineham, Sa, Yeaman, Talanoa; Pryce, Sneyd; Paea, Houghton, Watts, Minichiello, Ellis, Westerman.
Interchange Whiting, Green, Bowden, Thompson.
Tries Talanoa, Shaul 2. Goals Sneyd 2. Drop goal Sneyd.
Referee T Roby (York)
