HUDDERSFIELD Giants completed an excellent Senior Academy campaign on a disappointing note with a 32-18 defeat at Hull.
A Widnes win the day before meant the Giants went in to this game with no genuine hope of getting into the top six.
But they would still have expected to put up a far better show against a Hull side who have been struggling at the wrong end of the table all season.
Huddersfield, on the other hand, have keept one eye on the top six play-off race throughout.
But this defeat at Hull confirmed they would finish seventh.
Losing the final two League points on offer was disappointing in itself, but the fact that they allowed their hosts to come back from behind to take the spoils added to the sense of frustration.
Huddersfield led 12-10 at the interval through tries from Danny Samuel and Kris Lythe, and two Tony Williams goals, with Hull grabbing touch downs from Joe Chambers and Danny Smith, who added one conversion.
However, the decisive period of the game was in the third quarter, during which Hull went out to take a 22-12 lead with tries from Andy Moody and Paul Fairfield, both of which were improved by Smith.
Ben Feehan then gave the Giants a real chance of pulling the game around when he crossed for Williams to convert and reduce the margin to four points.
But two late tries from established Super League player Glen Donkin, one of which was converted by Smith, saw Hull home in a tense finish.
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