SNEYD ADDS SHINE WITH GOLDEN BOOT
ICE MAN Marc Sneyd made history with Super League’s first regularseason Golden Point to end Hull FC’s long losing run.
Without a win in 13 games they looked set for more heartbreak when Oliver Gildart levelled the scores with seconds left.
But Zak Hardaker pushed a difficult conversion attempt wide to send the match into newlyintroduced extra-time, and having earned a penalty to take them down field, Sneyd held his nerve.
Coach Lee Radford said: “We practised it this week and the team Sneydy was on lost – he messed it up in training and did it on game day.
“He’s the ice man, he doesn’t generally feel pressure and not many strike a ball like him. It’s a huge relief, because of the circumstances.
“We had no bench left, there were blokes coming off the field left, right and centre. To battle like they did and see that out – having lost in a similar way in round one at Hull KR – to lose that one would have been soul destroying.
“Under incredible circumstances we showed some steel.”
Radford brought Gareth Ellis out of retirement at 37 and gave a debut to Fijian winger Ratu Naulago, who scored two tries before becoming one of those injury victims, retiring with cramp.
The visitors fell behind early when Gildart scored his first, before tries to Carlos Tuimavave, Joe Westerman and Naulago put them 16-6 in front.
Home debutant Liam Byrne then traded tries with Naulago either side of half-time, and Wigan were still two scores down until prop Ben Flower crashed over in the 65th minute.
The hosts – a week on from their World Club Challenge defeat to Sydney Roosters – poured forward in the dying stages and Gildart’s try gave Hardaker a chance to win it.
But when his kick missed, Sneyd put over a drop-goal. Wigan boss Adrian Lam said: “We were flat through the whole game.” P WDL F A Pts Castleford 3 30 0 86 28 6 Warrington 3 3 0 0 86 40 6 St Helens 3 3 00 73 52 6 Salford 43 0 1 96 82 6 Hull KR 42 0 2 76 80 4 Catalans 3 10 2 43 52 2 Hull 31 0 2 57 66 2 Leeds 41 0 3 90 101 2 Wakefield 3 1 0 2 64 78 2 Broncos 41 0 3 60 110 2 Wigan 3 1 0 2 68 61 0 Hudd’field 3 0 0 3 44 93 0