Round 20
Hull FC 18 l. Les Catalans Dragons 30

2008 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Catalans continues winning form
Tue July 8, 2008
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Catalans Dragons' pursuit of the engage Super League top spot showed no signs of abating as they disposed of a wilting Hull FC side at the KC Stadium.

Buoyed by their 30-14 win at Wakefield Wildcats on Tuesday, Mick Potter's men continued their outstanding form away from the south of France this season by registering a seventh success on the road to move them within a point of joint leaders Leeds Rhinos and St Helens.

They had looked to be cruising towards the win after effortlessly opening up leads of 18-0 and 24-12, but it took Clint Greenshields' late try to end the contest after a second-half rally from lowly Hull.

Hull's season now rests solely on their Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final with Wakefield in three weeks' time, although that too is tinged with gloom as they will go before the RFL on Monday charged with fielding the ineligible Jamie Thackray in two of the earlier rounds. They are expected to receive a hefty punishment.

Having remained in England since the Wakefield game, the Dragons highlighted their freshness by dominating the first-half, although the 12-0 interval scoreline betrayed how much better they were than Richard Agar's side.

Their superiority was built upon the sophisticated edge given to their attack by the half-back pairing of Thomas Bosc and Adam Mogg and the former was the architect of the game's opening score on 12 minutes.

With Hull's early indiscipline costing them territory, the visitors found themselves well placed and did not waste their invitation to attack the Hull line as Bosc produced a wonderful delayed pass that sent Olivier Elima thundering across the try-line.

Bosc added the goal for a six-point lead that could nearly have been extended moments later but for a superb cover tackle on Justin Murphy by Gareth Raynor.

Murphy had looked a certainty to score after plucking Mogg's kick from the air, only for Raynor to bundle him in-touch.

Hull then squandered a handy spell of possession with a string of costly handling errors and as a result found themselves further adrift by the break.

A long kick from Bosc forced young winger Tom Briscoe to be dragged out of play and from the subsequent scrum Mogg created a stunning overlap that resulted in Murphy skinning Shaun Berrigan and Kirk Yeaman to dive over the line. Bosc again converted.

The seemingly routine nature of their performance continued into the second-half as Jamal Fakir found the home defence absent as he trundled over for a try worthy of his all-action performance.

But Hull then responded with a fine 20-minute burst that saw them score two tries and squander another as they forced their way back into the game.

Their first try was a close-range effort from Garreth Carvell who had spent the majority of the afternoon being booed by his own fans after announcing earlier in the week that he wished to reverse his decision to sign a new three-year deal with the club.

Danny Tickle added the goal and when durable hooker Berrigan then plundered his sixth score of the year with a dart from dummy-half Hull were only six points adrift.

However, sandwiched in between the two scores, Casey McGuire produced a stunning last-ditch tackle on Craig Hall who had raced the length of the field to the corner and looked set to ground until McGuire's tackle forced him to spill possession over the line.

That looked all the more crucial when Mogg send Younes Khattabi racing in at the corner, only for Hull to hit back with a well-worked try from Briscoe who collected Hall's neat kick to score.

But, with Hull desperate to find an opening to level the game Greenshields towered above full-back Matt Sing to take in Bosc's kick and score under the posts.

Report Source: www.superleague.co.uk


Airlie News: Hull FC v Catalans
Sat July 5, 2008
Source: www.hullfc.com

Hull FC Head Coach Richard Agar looks ahead to Sunday's clash with high flying Catalans Dragons at the KC Stadium (3:15pm).

With the Dragons firmly entrenched in third place in the engage Super League it is a tough test for his Hull FC side.

Agar briefly looks back to last Sunday's disappointing and heart breaking last minute defeat against Warrington Wolves and then ahead to the visit of the Dragons who come fresh from an outstanding victory at Wakefield.

What was the feeling in the camp after last Sunday?
The boys were disappointed because they knew - it didn't need me to tell them - that we squandered two points.

They knew we had no one to blame but ourselves and some aspects of our play just wasn't good enough.

How have they responded?

They have responded positively. They have taken on board what we did wrong last weekend and are very keen to put it right.

If you look back to last weekend while some of our young guys made mistakes it was from some of our most seasoned professionals were our errors came from and they know they have to do better.

What do you think of Catalans?

They are a very strong, physical and formidable outfit and they are playing with a lot of confidence right now.

Catalans have got a tremendous overseas contingent in key positions and they are very much bang in form.

It now also looks as though the French players in the team have acclimatised to the rigours of week in, week out Super League and the travelling aspect they are faced with.

If you look at the travel aspect they certainly don't appear to have a problem having won six or seven times away from Perpignan this season ? that is quite an achievement.

That in itself is one of the reasons why they are sat in the position they are in the table - third.

They proved last year they could win the big games but probably didn't have the consistency. They now have that consistency.

What have you got to do to beat them?

We have to match the physical presence they have got up front.

They are a very well drilled side, they complete their sets and work off the back of that and it is important we match them in that area also.

They are well structured in their attack and very effective and to beat them you have to be just as good, if not better.

It will be the third game in 10 days for the bulk of their side. Do you think that could help you?

We will have to see how they back up but I am sure the confidence factor from their point will be high after their victory at Wakefield on Tuesday.

After that performance and win they probably can't wait to get back out on the field again.

Playing three games in this short space of time is physically and mentally demanding but how much we'll have to wait and see.

With the make up and physical nature of their side I think it is important you maybe don't play too much straight off the side of the ruck and one out because I think you'll find yourself getting ambushed. It is probably important you try and move the football about a bit.

Graeme Horne makes his 100th appearance for the club at the weekend?

He's had a couple of bad injuries, his back was particularly serious and he also had a broken jaw.

They have punctuated his career but to play 100 times for your home town club, any club for that matter, is a proud moment.

I am really pleased for him and I think it is tremendous for the family to have two brothers who between them have played over 350 first team games for their club.

Graeme is coming back for a calf injury and I thought his form before the injury was okay.

He has probably suffered over the years through a lack of game time and maybe the lack of an outright position and he won't mind me saying this but inconsistencies in his game as well. But what we might tend to forget is that he's still a pretty young lad.

He is a terrific athlete, however, and he has a body made for rugby league. He's quick, has good footwork and he has got that athleticism which a players needs.

Graeme has still some good years ahead of him and we have yet to see the best of him in these colours.

Hull FC squad:

Berrigan, Briscoe, Broughton, Burnett, Carvell, Dowes, Dykes, Hall, Houghton, G Horne, Manu, Radford, Raynor, Sing, Thackray, Tickle, Washbrook, Wheeldon, Yeaman

Home: played 2, won 1, drawn 1, lost 0, for 35, against 21
Away: played 4, won 3, drawn 1, lost 0, for 120, against 90
Total: played 6, won 4, drawn 2, lost 0, for 154, against 121

Milestones:

Graeme Horne - 99 appearances (25 plus 74 as subs).

Lee Radford - completed his 100th appearance for the club against Warrington (92 plus 8 subs, both spells with club).

Danny Tickle - Today is his 50th appearance for the club since joining us from Wigan last year. In his 49 appearances so far he has scored 14 tries and kicked 160 goals for a total of 376 points.

Motu Tony - 98 appearances for Hull (73 plus 25 subs).

News Source: www.hullfc.com

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