Hull FC just rolled into BrewDog Stadium and dropped a 32-18 shocker on St Helens, with Harvey Barron ripping off his first senior hat-trick to crush the home side’s play-off hopes. This wasn’t just a loss, this was Hull FC snapping a seven-match losing streak and securing their first win at that stadium in nine years against a Saints team that’s now looking dangerously close to missing the Super League play-offs for the first time ever. Talk about a gut punch.
The Game Was a Catastrophe of Missed Tackles for St Helens
The scoreline tells part of the story, but the real kicker? St Helens missed an absolutely mind-boggling 49 tackles in this game. Forty-nine! Hull FC, sitting second-bottom in the league, deserved every bit of their win. They were dominant in the second half, blowing a fragile Saints team completely away. Lewis Murphy scored early for St Helens, but then Barron went to work, scoring his first try to answer back. Lewis Martin, fresh back from a four-week concussion layoff, put Hull FC ahead, stepping inside Jack Welsby. Welsby did scorch in for a try from a George Whitby pass, but Barron got his second right before the half, tying the game up. After the break, it was all Hull FC. Barron completed his hat-trick seven minutes in, then Cade Cust went over from dummy half, leaving the ten-times Super League champions reeling. Harry Robertson had a try chalked off for obstruction, and then a converted penalty from Zak Hardaker after Daniel Suluka-Fifita’s high tackle on Cust put the game out of reach for good. Robertson did manage another try with eight minutes left, but former Saint James Bell rubbed salt in the wound with an interception try at the death.
Injury Woes and a Precarious Position
This defeat leaves an already injury-depleted St Helens in a seriously rough spot, sitting in seventh place with just five games left. Not only did they lose this pivotal home game to the league’s second-bottom side, but they also dropped last week’s match against York Knights. To make matters worse, George Whitby, who was just returning from knee surgery, left the game in the second half with a separate knee problem. Interim head coach Eamon O’Carroll didn’t mince words after the game, telling BBC Radio Merseyside, “There were far too many times when we were shooting ourselves in the foot and putting some pressure on ourselves. We’re clearly not at that level at the moment where we seem to handle that the way we’d like to or how we have in the past.” He acknowledged the young players were “exposed at times” and proud of them, but said they’re “swapping one of our younger lads for another younger lad,” putting a heavy burden on their senior guys. All this while chairman Eamonn McManus confirmed before kick-off that the search for a successor to head coach Paul Rowley has been narrowed down to a “four- or five-man” shortlist.
With five games left, St Helens faces an uphill battle to keep their incredible streak of always qualifying for the Super League play-offs alive. The clock is ticking, and they need to find answers fast before their season completely unravels.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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