Last’sL t’ proud db but tdi disappointedi
ANDY Last cut a frustrated figure despite watching his depleted Hull FC side give Leeds Rhinos a real scare at Headingley.
The in-form Rhinos were huge favourites for the Super League clash after FC were drafted in as late replacements for Castleford Tigers.
Hull went into the game without 13 players yet defied the odds to take control of the contest in the opening 20 minutes.
In the end, Last was left to rue a bombed try by Bureta Faraimo with FC leading 10-0.
“I’m immensely proud of the players but I’m disappointed with aspects of our performance,” the interim head coach said after the 40-22 defeat.
“I thought there was a chance of us getting them tonight. That was a key period and unfortunately Bureta doesn’t take that chance in the corner off Marc Sneyd’s kick to make it 16-0.
“Then there were periods just before half-time and just after half-time where we didn’t quite get that impact off our bench.
“We were really confident going into it because we’ve had that experience of getting to Wembley and that emotional high and the impact of playing in the semifinal. You can maybe have a bit of an eye on preserving your body and energy for the final. We got off to a good start and could have got off to an even better start had we taken that chance in the left-hand corner.
“I’m proud of how they kept going but that’s what they should be doing and is a minimum requirement.
“They’re professional players and the game is played for 80 minutes. There shouldn’t be any periods in the game where you throw the towel in.
“At short notice the effort from the players was brilliant but there’s some lessons to be learned.”
The loss leaves FC with an improbable task as they aim to secure a top-four spot but Last remains bullish.
“There is no chance of Hull giving up on the play-offs,” he added. “When you look at the fixtures, the amount of games coming up and the amount of teams that are playing against each other above us, they’re all going to be taking points off one another.
“You might find the win percentage to get in the top four is a lot less than people maybe think. We’re going to be fighting every game to try get as many wins as we possibly can.”