Hull FC and Leigh Leopards showcased what Rugby League is all about, with an incredibly memorable first half setting the tone for what was a brilliant game and what will be an exciting season for both sides.
Tries from Jed Cartwright, Herman Ese Ese and Harvey Barron for Hull FC and tries from Tese Nui, Umyla Hanley and a David Armstrong double for Leigh Leopards sees the game go to Golden Point, with the two sides inseparable after 80 minutes.
After six unsuccessful Captain’s Challenges and multiple drop-goal attempts, the game finishes 22-22.
A much-improved Hull FC faced early impressers Leigh Leopards, with the Leopards winning all three of their opening games.
Third faced seventh in what promised to be an exciting game of Rugby League – and it didn’t disappoint.
After what was a competitive first nine minutes, it was Hull FC that opened the scoring in style, with Jed Cartwright cutting open the Leopards defence with a brilliantly ran line.
After starting the move with a strong drive on the right-hand side, Cartwright offloaded to half-back Cade Cust. Cust found former Leopard John Asiata, with the loose forward driving hard, turning, and offloading the ball back to Cust. Cust then split the defence, finding Cartwright effortlessly, with the son of Hull FC head coach John Cartwright finishing strongly.
Unfortunately for FC, kicker Aidan Sezer hit the post and couldn’t add the extras, with the score remaining at 4-0.
But it wasn’t long before Leigh were back in the game, with Tese Nui finishing strongly in the left corner after a brilliantly worked passing move to the left edge.
The move started through ‘The Brain’ Gareth O’Brien, who found Lachlan Lam. Lam patiently waited for the perfect pass, using a double pump to find Andrew Badrock. Badrock found Nui in space, and it was over before it even started, with him rampaging towards the FC line.
But there was a sense of de ja vu, with Lam now hitting the post from the conversion, the score remained 4-4 after 13 minutes.
From nowhere, after plenty of Leopards pressure, Sezer received a yellow card after a high tackle on David Armstrong, with the penalty being right under the posts.
Lam wouldn’t miss from here though, with Leigh taking a two-point lead after 22 minutes.
But it went from bad to worse for Hull FC, with another player being sent to the sin bin. After another high tackle on Armstrong near the FC line by Jordan Rapana, Hull were down to 11 men after 26 minutes.
And to little to no surprise, Leigh scored through Umyla Hanley in the right corner, with an abundance of Leopards queuing up.
Despite having three or four Leigh players in plenty of space, Hull managed to get across and make it hard for Leigh, with Hanley having to crash past two Hull defenders and finishing awkwardly.
Lam kicked the conversion from a tight angle, taking the score to 4-12 after 26 mins.
But Hull weren’t out of reach just yet, showing plenty of fight to get back into the game. The game began to boil over, with the FC fans now becoming frustrated with what they thought was inconsistent refereeing. Leigh gave away a plethora of penalties and Hull decided to take the two points.
Without Sezer on the pitch, it was Jordan Lane who converted the pen from range, with him taking just one penalty before the one he converted, making it 6-12 after half an hour.
After what was an exhilarating half of Rugby League, the half ended 6-12 with all still to play for in the second half.
And the second half started right back where it finished in the first half: plenty of intensity.
Hull’s Sezer thought he was going to go half the length of the pitch and score after two minutes, but he was brought back by the referee after Lam was pushed over by Cartwright.
O’Brien had to make way after seven minutes with a head knock, which looked to have spruced Hull up. A frantic high kick to the right corner nearly saw Hull cut the deficit, but Armstrong cleaned up and brought a calmness to the Leopards.
And their pressure paid off in the 51st minute, with the home side scoring what was a work of art. Superb Sezer picked out Harvey Barron with a beautiful cross-field kick and the right winger gathered and find his way over the tryline, taking the score to 10-12.
And from one perfect kick to another, Sezer converted to make it 12-12.
But less than a minute later, Leigh were back in front.
Two words: David Armstrong.
The ball was shifted left and from absolutely nowhere, Leopards full-back Armstrong scorched through the Hull defence, cutting them wide open with blistering pace. Unbelievable stuff.
Lam narrowly converted, with the kick just finding its way over, giving the Leopards an 12-18 lead after 55 minutes.
But if you thought it was over, this game was not. Prop Herman Ese Ese breezed through the Leigh defence, with nobody laying a finger on the storming Samoan – not that they would want to with the speed he was going at. Former Leopard Asiata was at it again, receiving the ball from Sezer and slipping Ese Ese through with a perfectly waited pass for the forward to dab down to the right of the posts.
Sezer converts with ease, and it was 18-18 after an hour.
After a controversial inconclusive Captain’s challenge from Hull FC, Leigh’s Armstrong had done it again.
I am running out of words to describe this guy, its yet another brilliant try with his blistering pace.
Leigh shifted the ball to the left, finding Armstrong again. The flying full-back caught the ball and was direct straight away. He shaped up the Hull defence, dummied, and broke through to score in the corner.
Lam, short on time, rushed his kick and blasted across the face of the goal. The score remained 18-22, with 15 minutes left to play.
In the 71st minute, another flashpoint. Hull’s veteran centre, Rapana, looked to have made it all square, but Leigh’s Keanan Brand managed to scupper any chances of that with a brilliant piece of defending.
Leigh’s Nathan O’Neill then went close in the 76th minute, with him thinking he had extended the Leopards lead, but the referee ruled against it for double movement.
BUT THIS GAME WAS NOT DEAD AND BURIED YET.
With what looked like one of the last plays of the game, Hull FC’s Lewis Martin scored an acrobatic try in the left corner to bring it level – a fitting finish for a fantastic game of Rugby League. Leigh’s Brand, a millimetre from a try-saving tackle, but Martin managed to keep his feet in play.
Sezer, with a game-deciding kick… HITS THE POST.
Golden point was to be the deciding factor of this game.
This game did not want to end – and that was not a problem at all. The sides still couldn’t be separated after the first half of Golden Point, but you felt one or the other were going to nick this in dramatic fashion.
More drama ensued, with Briscoe looking to have managed to have a foot in touch to take the ball from kick off, meaning Hull gained the huge advantage of starting their set from the half-way line – but yet another Captain’s Challenge was inconclusive.
And from the Leigh set, Lam had his drop-goal charged down by Hull, with it being met from a huge cheer from the crowd.
Lam scuffed a second attempt after consecutive sets under the posts – it looked like game over.
What a game.
In the last minute of Golden Point, Hull used their retained Captain’s Challenge, with the on-field ruling of a knock on being upheld. Six unsuccessful Challenges for the evening.
Leigh had themselves a penalty for offside. They chose to tap and not take the kick.
15 seconds to go… AND LAM HAD ANOTHER DROP-GOAL CHARGED DOWN.
What a game of Rugby League. The game finishes 22-22.