Andy Last on Hull FC’s defeat to Wire, the contest, the sin bins, and potential MRP outcome.
21:27, 29 Aug 2026Updated 21:48, 29 Aug 2026
Hull FC forward Joe Batchelor.
Andy Last shared his disappointment after some 50/50 calls went against his Hull FC side in defeat to Warrington Wolves on Saturday night.
The Black and Whites went down 16-14 to the Wire in an, at times, chaotic and crazy game of rugby league, with Hull dealt two sin bins and some decisions, in their interim coach’s view, that perhaps didn’t see them get the rub of the green.
Last also gave his view on Hull’s two sin bins, with Joe Batchelor yellow-carded for head contact on Arron Lindop and Ligi Sao sin-binned for a high tackle. The prop was also placed on report for a potential hip-drop tackle – a case Hull might have to answer in the RFL Match Review Panel verdict come Monday.
Speaking post-match, Last said: “The first half, I think it was a 4-1 penalty count and a 4-1 six-again count, and then we’ve had two guys sin-binned. A couple of calls went against us. I’m a bit disappointed on that score.
“I think we’ll have a couple of cases to answer. I thought the Batch one was a strong contact, but by the letter of the law, shoulder to head, you have to sit yourself down. But there have been some dubious ones over the course of the season where similar tackles happen and they don’t suffer the consequences. It’s just the consistency that I think is lacking.
“And the Ligi Sao one, I think he’s got himself caught in a bad position. There might be a little bit of a hip drop in there. Hopefully, we dodge a few bullets but I think there’s a little bit in them.”
As for the contest, Hull rallied after going 16-2 down. They played their part in a tough contest at the MKM Stadium, their final home match of 2026, standing tall in the effort-based areas of the game before conceding two tries just before the break.
The Wire then added to that tally early in the second half before FC rolled the dice with tries from Ethan O’Neill and Tom Briscoe. That created a grandstand finish, but Warrington held on.
“I’ve only questioned the team’s character once this year and that was against Leigh,” Last continued. “The question surrounding character, there isn’t one; they answer that question on a regular basis.
“We’ve faced some real adversity this year with lots of injuries and lots of stuff that’s gone on off the field and the players have kept it together and put in some strong performances. Today, to take Warrington, who are in real good form, from the first minute to the 80th minute, 20 minutes with a man down, I’m proud of them. It’s just disappointing that we’ve lost another game by two points.
“The game had a bit of everything. The sin bin after just 15 seconds impacted massively on us, but I’m really proud of the first half. Warrington are very good in the cycle; they complete well, kick well, and front a lot of energy in their defence. They did that here, but we didn’t buckle, and then unfortunately right at the end of the first half, we just got done.
“We didn’t quite compete hard enough and a couple of players had a couple of steps off, and those are the fine margins between the top of the table and where we currently are. We had some fatigue and we didn’t quite move.
“It was disappointing to go into half-time having conceded those tries but in those conditions it’s normally what it comes down to: competing a bit harder on a kick play, and that was the difference between the two teams, unfortunately.”
Hull threatened a comeback late on and Last thought his side were going to get over the line, just as they did at Catalans last week.
“I felt the momentum which we built was going to be enough to get us across the line again,” the interim coach said. “Tom scored that try, the crowd was massively into the game, and we were only two points behind.
“Then the quality of Warrington: they didn’t panic; they continued to complete sets and turn the ball over in the corners. George Williams was exceptional, constantly threatening us on those short sides. His ability to run, pass, and kick was excellent.
“We just didn’t have enough petrol in the tank to get us upfield and get into a position to attack in good ball. We’ve got to give Warrington a lot of credit. They’ll use that as a blueprint; they’re going to be playing in some big games, and that was set for set, and Grand Final weather with the downpour. They’ll take a lot of it and I wish them the best of luck.”