Sin-bin blow is so costly again

Aug 6 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Hull 36 - 16 Giants: IF the Giants are to collect the Super League points required to avoid finishing bottom of the table they must ensure they play with all 13 men for the full 80 minutes!

For the second successive week, coach Tony Smith was forced to watch on as one of his players was sent to the sin-bin at a crucial stage.

Against Leeds, Chris Thorman who was guilty of holding down and ordered to take a 10-minute breather.

At The Boulevard yesterday, it was the turn of Andrew Frew to be punished for a similar offence.

Yet even though the players may have been different, the effect was equally devastating.

While Frew was taking his enforced rest, Hull ran in two tries to take the score from 10-6 in the 37th minute - when referee Russell Smith made his sin- binning ruling - to 20-6 by the 44th minute.

And late in the contest the effect of playing in the heat with a man down for 10 minutes took its toll as the home side grabbed two tries in the final six minutes to give a very unflattering final scoreline.

That may have prompted frustrated coach Smith to state: "We should start practising with 12 players!"

Yet whatever the circumstances, a 36-16 final score was rather harsh on his side.

Although up against a well-drilled, though weakened, Hull side who are capable of tearing any defence to shreds and are fully deserving of their fourth place in the Super League ladder, the Giants more than held their own in the opening exchanges.

They recovered from the early setback of conceding a fourth-minute try by Tony Grimaldi to start to take control.

Former Hull favourite Steve McNamara had set the ball rolling with an excellent 40-20 kick which had put the home side on the back foot.

And within two minutes the pressure had paid off as Paul Reilly drove to the line and slipped the pass out to the supporting Stanley Gene to score against the club that let him leave just two months ago.

McNamara added the conversion and the sides were level.

More spirited Huddersfield play from Reilly, David Atkins and Paul Rowley almost brought further reward.

But the closest call came in the 17th minute when Troy Stone collected Ben Kusto's `bomb' on the sixth tackle and fed Atkins, who so nearly crashed under a pile of bodies to get the decisive touch.

Within a minute, however, the Giants' optimism was shattered as Richard Horne took a tap penalty on halfway and outpaced the defence to score.

That must have hit Huddersfield hard, but they were soon trying to claw back the deficit.

Brandon Costin's penalty from halfway just faded wide and the excellent Martin Gleeson came within inches of crossing in the corner after one of a number of elusive runs.

But just as the Giants looked to be closing in on their second try came the decisive moment.

Poor tackling on outstanding loose-forward Jason Smith - who was again in superb form against the Giants - enabled him to break clear and feed Steve Prescott to make further progress.

Only a last-ditch tackle from Frew saved the try, but referee Smith had no patience over the length of time he was holding the man down and produced the yellow card.

Hull's decision to run the penalty rather than go for goal immediately paid off as Luke Felsch followed up a Horne kick through to score a try converted by former Giants winger Matt Crowther to give his side a 16-6 interval lead.

Within four minutes of the restart Logan Campell crashed over with relative ease and by the time Frew trotted back onto the field his side were 14 point adrift.

That deficit was quickly widened as Smith's high kick to the corner was gathered by Deon Bird to touch down.

Then all of a sudden the Giants began to fight back.

In the 55th minute, Gene picked up a loose ball on halfway and released Chris Langley to make valuable ground.

Although stopped 20 yards out, Huddersfield maintained the momentum and Kusto jinked over for a try converted by Costin, whose influence was growing by the minute.

Fifteen minutes later, the deficit was further reduced.

Marty Moana, making his debut after switching on loan from Halifax, drove to the line for Gene to dart over from acting half-back.

Costin almost inexcusably hacked his kick wide and what could have been just a converted try separating the sides was eight points and a far more difficult target to pull back.

Richard Fletcher and Paul Cooke both took advantage of a tiring defence to score and rub salt into the Giants' wounds.

Overall, this will go down as a scrappy encounter.

Yet once again Huddersfield mixed it with a top team and could have come far closer.

Match Facts

Hull FC Prescott; Raynor, Campbell, Bird, Crowther; Cooke (Carvell 38min, bb, rev 46mins), Horne; Craven (Felsch 29mins), King (Maiden 64mins, Carvell 74mins), Logan, Maiden (Fletcher 50mins), Grimaldi, Smith. Sub not used: Poucher.

Tries - Grimaldi (4mins), Horne (18mins), Felsch (38mins), Campbell (44mins), Bird (51mins), Fletcher (74mins), Cooke (78mins).

Goals - Crowther 4 from 7.

Huddersfield Giants - Reilly; Frew, Gleeson, Gene, Langley; Costin, Kusto; Stone (Molloy 29mins, Slicker 56mins), Rowley, Marshall (Stone 46mins, Lomax 73mins), Lomax (Slicker 34mins, bb, rev 40mins, Walker 56mins), Atkins (Marshall 27mins, bb, rev 40mins), McNamara (Moana 27mins, bb rev 45mins, Moana 53mins).

Tries - Gene (11mins), Kusto (55mins), Gene (70mins).

Goals - McNamara 1 from 1, Costin 1 from 2.

Sin-binning - Frew (37mins, holding down).

Half-time - 16-6.

Referee - Russell Smith (Castleford).

Attendance - 5,621.

Scrums won - Hull 4, Huddersfield 10.

Penalties conceded - Hull 7, Huddersfield 10.

Next Giants match - Home to Salford on Sunday.

Next Wakefield match - Away to London Broncos on Sunday.