Has call-off put paid to FC’S hopes?
CATALANS’ CLASH FALLS VICTIM TO COVID
Hull FC will not travel to France to take on Catalans Dragons in round 17 of the Super League tonight. The game has been called off due to seven cases of coronavirus in the Dragons’ camp and it seems highly unlikely that it will be rearranged, with only a few weeks left of the season.
As such, the Black and Whites will likely play just three matches between now and the end of the season, with a Hull derby next Thursday set to be FC’S next outing.
However, the cancellation could have a detrimental effect on the club’s hopes of reaching the top four this season.
Prior to the call-off of tonight’s clash, Andy Last’s side needed to win all of their remaining four games to give themselves the best chance possible of reaching the play-offs with a maximum win percentage of 60 available to them.
With no game to play tonight, though, that maximum win percentage takes a hit.
Should FC win all their remaining games they’ll only boast a win percentage of 57.9, which seems even less likely to be enough to claim a top four spot.
It doesn’t end Hull’s hopes mathematically.
Should FC do their bit they could still end up in the mix.
However, they would need Leeds Rhinos and Catalans to both go on losing runs.
The Rhinos will be tested to their very limits, it seems, with five games in the next 14 days and Last will have his fingers crossed that their form deserts them because if it does, with a current win percentage of 61.54, they could be within reach.
It remains unclear how many fixtures the Dragons will manage to squeeze in before the end of the season with another game on Monday against Warrington now in doubt.
However, they need to play three more times in order to meet the minimum threshold of 15 games required to become eligible for the play-offs.
As such, they’ll be desperate to get as many matches as possible on between now and the end of the season in order to avoid the risk of falling short.
Including the Warrington game, Catalans have four fixtures scheduled between now and the end of the season which also theoretically puts them within reach of the Black and Whites.
Of course, none of this is straightforward, but Last will be keen for his side to keep plugging away and make things interesting.