Effort, determination and grit aren't enough, Hull need to do basics

FC FACE UGLY FINISH IF THEY CAN'T BREAK THEIR CURRENT VICIOUS CYCLE

- By DAN TOMLINSON

Hull FC slipped out of the Super League playoff places after Saturday's 13-6 defeat to St Helens.

It was a loss that had a similar feel about it to previous defeats at Warrington and the like.

There’s no questioning effort, but in terms of brains, the performance again left a lot to be desired.

Here, the Mail looks at some talking points.

Own worst enemy

John Cartwright said post-match that it was really difficult for Hull to win the game on the back of the “statistics they posted”, and one glance at them tells the story. Hull made 15 errors and completed at just 66%. For context, St Helens made 10 and completed at 87%.

That has a chain effect elsewhere. For good measure, Saints had 42 play the balls in Hull’s 20. Hull had 10.

Saints had 57% of the possession, making over 400m more than Hull, with FC over 80 more tackles.

That stranglehold told. Saints started strongly, completed well, and turned the ball over in their desired areas. In fact, it took Hull 20 minutes to get out of their own half, and the first play the ball they had in Saints territory, they lost the ball in contact.

That theme continued. When Hull got into Saints’ 20 for the first time, they coughed up possession again and again. When they got good field position in the second half, they lost the ball on the first tackle. They continuously shot themselves in the foot and, in the end, got what they deserved.

But why does it keep happening?

Hull FC's attack will get hammered after another poor showing with the ball, but ultimately, it was the outcome of another unwanted error count - one that created a vicious cycle for the second week running.