SHOCK & DRAW
NINE kicks missed in extra time as sides share the points
RIVAL coaches Brett Hodgson and Steve Price refused to criticise their playmakers after Super League’s first draw since the introduction of golden point in 2019.
The teams missed a total of nine drop-goal attempts over the course of two five-minute periods before eventually sharing the spoils.
It came after Warrington centre Jake Mamo scored a dramatic last-gasp try as the hooter sounded on 80 minutes to send the game into extra-time.
But neither Hull boss Hodgson or his Wolves counterpart Price laid any blame at the door of kickers Marc Sneyd, Jake Connor, Blake Austin and Gareth Widdop.
Hodgson said: “That’s what golden point is – I don’t think many teams play their best rugby at that time.
“It’s a little bit underwhelming not to get a result but we’ll take a point.
“We can learn that if we’re not in position to kick a field goal, then we can put it in the corner. But at the same time, they could say the same thing about themselves.”
For Warrington, this was a significant improvement on their opening defeat to Castleford, but they still looked to be heading for a second defeat from three before Mamo’s late intervention.
“It was a fantastic individual try by Jakey,” Price said. “It had everything today, it was a tough game of footy. There was a huge amount of spirit and fight in the boys.
“It’s a fine line in golden point and we’ve been pretty good at it over the last 18 months or so. Sometimes you win those and sometimes you don’t, and hopefully next time we’ll get it right.”
The only points of a tentative first half saw Sneyd and Stefan Ratchford trade penalties before the game exploded into life just before the hour mark.
Connor sent the excellent Jordan Lane through a hole inside his own half and then supported to take the return pass and touch down by the posts.
Warrington responded when Daryl Clark offloaded as he was pushed back over the line and Chris Hill finished.
But Hull looked to have sealed victory when Lane broke the line again, sparking a superb handling move that ended with Carlos Tuimavave scoring in the corner.
Sneyd’s conversion gave his side a sixpoint lead, but with the clock ticking down, Mamo accelerated through to send the match into added time.
Both sides then missed a succession of drop-goal efforts in two frantic fiveminute periods for a first top-flight draw since Leeds and Wakefield shared the points in July 2018.