Hull FC were edged out at Salford despite another late fightback.
Simon Grix expressed conflicting feelings following Hull FC’s 22–20 loss against Salford Red Devils. On Sunday afternoon, the Black and Whites outscored their opponents four tries to three, but Marc Sneyd’s kicks at goal were superior; the former Hull half-back converted five of his six attempts.
Grix, on the other hand, acknowledged the ‘frustration’ of losing but was nevertheless ‘proud’ of Hull’s effort and competitive spirit. The interim coach stated that his team may have won the match if they had played with a little more polish on offence, which could have given them the much-needed win.
Grix stated, “We’re frustrated,” during his press conference following the game. Despite the outcome on the pitch, we are clearly proud of the boys. A large number of young blokes out there, which is great for us and our future as a club.
We’re competing, which is fantastic, and everyone has gained some respect from when we used to get beat up every week, but we shouldn’t let that lead us to start acting like we’re just playing games again. We wanted to win, and we had a couple chances there. If we had been a little more astute, we could have won. We do feel as though we’ve overlooked something today.
“I felt the guys had what it took to succeed; it’s just their intelligence that let us down. We didn’t adjust our plays in response to what their defence was demonstrating. Instead, we continued with the identical plays.
We played a lot of stupid at points, but in the end, we showed some depth, used our skills well, and overcame them. We have been clamouring for that from the beginning. Many lessons have been learned, and although we are content with many things, it is annoying.
“Once more, a few young guys showed up and received some playing time; Will Gardiner and Yusuf Aydin were particularly impressive; he’s been quiet since coming. He’s been incredibly helpful to us and has proven to be resilient and reliable.
It’s just a general sense of annoyance. We need to win games, so the competitive aspect must be at a minimum for us. This season still has a long way to go. and we’re demonstrating enough that we can steal a couple of games.”
Despite a disastrous two-try period when reduced to 12 men during a pivotal moment in the game, Hull were in the game the entire time. Tom Briscoe was sent off for a challenge on Ryan Brierley just before halftime, and Salford scored twice in the first few minutes of the second half. Grix also brought up the difficulties Hull had after losing Ligi Sao and Danny Houghton to injuries.
“I think we’ve seen way worse not given as a penalty,” Grix said. “I believe the main factor was that Brierley may have been able to get the ball because Logan (Moy) failed to diffuse it and it was free. Tom had not gone too far, in my opinion. He avoided bumping against his back. It was one of those things that occasionally occurs and evens out during the season.
“That, losing Danny Houghton after around thirty minutes, and Ligi Sao’s inability to play again—we’re going through a hard patch right now, but that’s life. Ligi’s ribs are damaged, while Danny’s leg is pulled. It’s actually in there; you can’t just poke it up. They are doubts for the derby. It’s unfortunate for them.”
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