Black and Whites can't afford to let hunt for top-six spot fizzle out

BUT THERE'S NO DOUBT INJURIES HAVE HIT CARTWRIGHT'S MEN HARD

- By DAN TOMLINSON

Hull FC produced a sloppy and error-strewn performance in defeat at Warrington Wolves on Saturday, with the lack of ability to hold on to the ball their undoing in a 24-10 loss.

Here, the Mail looks at some talking points.

Don't complete, don't win games

That's one of the basic methodologies of rugby league, but it's a stone-cold fact, with an erratic showing, akin to the Castleford game, ruining any chance Hull had of building into the contest and getting a result. Despite the completion drum being banged for the last several weeks, Hull completed at around 50% - a poor return - with Warrington starting the faster and stronger team and leaving Hull chasing the game.

John Cartwright's side did just that late in the first half, playing for a 10 minute block and getting themselves back to within two points at half-time, but that hard work was undone in the second half as Warrington pulled away again. They didn't have to do much out of the ordinary to do so either. Sam Powell's try from dummy half was soft, as was Josh Thewlis' opener, with Hull suffering lapses in their defensive line and ability to stay switched on. That was all the more frustrating given the effort and fight were clearly there for the majority of the game.

Warrington had both the possession and the chances to double their points total, but Hull stood firm. At one point, they repelled around 30 tackles on their own line. That's absurd.