It can’t have been an easy week for coach Steve Price and his players after the disappointment of failing to bring home the Challenge Cup from Wembley last week, when they were battered by a trophy hungry Catalans Dragons. But were they able to choose their Super Eights opponents for their next game, they would probably have selected a match against a Hull FC side who aren’t able to buy a win, and who are pointless since the end of June.
It was a crazily short turnaround for the Wolves after last weekends exertions but nevertheless the bookies had installed them as favourites for the victory. The sides had shared the honours in the two meetings so far this season, the Wolves winning 30-12 when the two sides met at the Halliwell-Jones at the end of May.
Hull’s nightmares came true after just two minutes when Josh Charnley flew over for the opening try in the right hand corner after taking a Toby King pass ten metres out. Tyrone Roberts kicked the touchline conversion for 6-0.
On nine minutes FC made the perfect response, thanks to a Toby King blunder as he dropped the high kick on his own line allowing Fetuli Talanoa to ground the loose ball for a try. Bureta Faraimo added the extras to level the scores.
Four minutes later Toby King took a high kick against a poor Hull defence to drop over the line for the Wolves second. Roberts kicked the conversion. Straight from the restart Bryson Goodwin was on hand to take a Tom Lineham inside pass to score by the uprights. Roberts added the extras and there was daylight between the two sides at 18-6.
The FC defence opened up again on twenty-two when Bryson Goodwin walked through for his second of the night for an easy try. Roberts added a simple conversion and Warrington were running away with the game.
On twenty-eight another Hull FC defensive mix-up gifted Toby King his second when two defenders clashed when trying to take a Roberts high kick with the ball going to ground allowing the chasing King to pick up the loose ball and stretch over for the score. Roberts missed with his fifth attempt of the night.
It was turning into a procession on thirty-one when Jack Hughes crossed for Warringtons sixth try of the night, again after a kick caused havoc, with the loose forward forcing his way between two tacklers to ground. Roberts kicked the extras and it was more than a point a minute for the hosts.
FC managed to maintain their line for the remainder of the half but it was difficult to see any way back for them in the second forty.
Two miniutes after the restart Goodwin secured his hat-trick when he picked up a Daryl Clark grubber a metre from the line to dive over. Roberts added the goal for 40-6, the half-time chat from Hull coach Lee Radford appearing ineffective.
Goodwin’s fourth came of forty-five after a Kevin Brown break when he took a Stefan Ratchford pass to split two FC defenders to go over. Roberts added the goal and the visitors nightmare continued.
Josh Griffin got Hulls second but there was little celebration and indicative of the Airlie Birds night, Faraimo failed to add the extras for 46-10 after forty-nine minutes. There was some fight from some Hull players but they were a distant second best.
On sixty-four minutes Joe Philbin burrowed his way under the FC tacklers who failed to bend their backs to make the tackle, to ground on the line. Roberts added the goal to give Warrington a 52-10 lead.
Charnley got his second on sixty-eight in a carbon copy of his opener as he again took a Toby King pass to go ten metres and slide over by the right corner flag. Roberts added a ninth goal, again from the touchline.
On seventy-one Stefan Ratchford found Tyrone Roberts to add a try to his goal haul as he went down the middle through a non-existant Hull defence to go under the sticks and give himself a simple conversion for 64-10.
A Kevin Brown grubber on seventy-four was grounded by Tom Lineham who outpaced the FC defence from twenty metres. Roberts failed to add the extras from wide but it was purely academic. Ratchford breezed his way over for the thirteenth Wolves try on seventy-seven, the Hull defence now totally absent. Roberts kicked the extras for 74-10.
Bryson Goodwin rounded off the nights scoring in the last minute when he chased down a kick through the Hull defence to ground in goal for his fifth try of the night. After the final hooter Roberts added his twelfth kick of the game for the 80-10 win.
Warrington bounced back from last weeks loss in tremendous fashion with a comprehensive demolition of a woeful Hull FC side who had no answer to the Primrose and Blue onslaught and who looked as though they would rather be anywhere else than on a rugby pitch.
Warrington will now look to build on this result and look to secure their top four finish and a crack at the Grand Final, and on this form, it would be foolish to back against them.
Wolves: Ratchford (T), Lineham (T), Goodwin (5T), King T (2T), Charnley (2T), Brown, Roberts (T, 12G), Hill, Clark, Cooper, Murdoch-Masila, Thompson, Hughes (T). Subs: Patton, Philbin (T), King G, Pomeroy.
FC: Shaul, Faraimo (G), Griffin (T), Tuimavave, Talanoa (T), Abdull, Harris, Taylor, Houghton, Paea, Washbrook, Hadley, Manu. Subs: Bienek, Lane, Litten. Matongo.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Half-Time: 34-6.
Full-Time: 80-10.
Attendance: .
