Leigh Leopards secured a hard-fought 24-16 victory over Hull FC on Friday night, thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Charnley. Despite Hull mounting a comeback late in the game, Leigh held on to secure their third victory since returning to the Super League.
The Leopards impressively began the game, racing into a 16-point lead inside the opening quarter of an hour. John Asiata and Lachlan Lam led the charge for Leigh, with Kai O’Donnell scoring the opening try after racing onto a flat pass from Lam. The half-back then masterminded a quick-fire double to Charnley to start the game by shocking the hosts.
Hull, who had lost their previous three Super League games, responded positively, building their way back into the contest from a more robust defense. They found some energy to test Leigh, with Brad Dwyer splitting the visiting defense to set up Davy Litten for his first try in Super League, cutting the gap to 10 points.
The hosts placed Leigh under more pressure when Carlos Tuimavave, who was making his first appearance since June, nearly increased their lead. But Joe Lovodua’s kick missed him. Ligi Sao’s high tackle brought about Hull’s final disappointment of the half as Ben Reynolds missed the ensuing penalty goal, giving Leigh a 10-point lead going into the interval.
Reynolds scored a penalty 10 minutes into the second half, and Charnley finished off his hat trick moments after Sao was sent out for the second time, giving the Leopards the upper hand. However, Jake Clifford and Liam Sutcliffe’s back-to-back tries for Hull narrowed the deficit to four points and created a tense finale.
Hull’s hopes were finally dashed when they were punished for an unintentional offside on the next restart, allowing Reynolds to add another penalty to give Leigh two points up and secure the victory for Adrian Lam’s team.
Leigh showed tremendous attacking prowess in the game, led by Asiata and Lam, but also a determination and desperation in defense to repel Hull’s comeback. It was another disappointing performance at home for Hull, in stark contrast to their valiant effort in defeat last week to the Saints. Despite Hull’s recent struggles,
Coach Tony Smith remained upbeat after the game, insisting that his side had shown improvement. “I was pleased with the effort tonight; we showed a lot of character to fight our way back into the game. We’re not getting the results we want at the moment, but I’m confident we’ll turn things around.”
Meanwhile, Leigh coach Adrian Lam praised his side’s resilience in defense and their attacking threat. “We showed a lot of courage out there tonight, especially in defense. Hull came back at us strongly, but we managed to hold on for the win. I was also delighted with our attacking play; we created some great chances and took them well.”
The win moves Leigh up to ninth in the Super League table, while Hull remains in sixth place, having lost four games in a row. With plenty of rugby still to be played this season, both sides will be looking to build on their performances and climb the table. For Leigh, the victory marks another critical step in their return to the top flight of English rugby league. Following a challenging season debut, the Leopards have won three of their last five games, showing plenty of potential for the future.