Hull FC boss Lee Radford insists his side had more than enough opportunities to put Bradford Bulls away during their 34-28 defeat – a result which all but ends their hopes of making the top eight in 2014.
With six points left to play for in the regular season, the Black and Whites are still five points adrift of the top eight after this latest defeat. And Radford pulled no punches after the final hooter, saying they would be “cheating” their way into the top eight if they made it after today.
“We should have been more ruthless in that first 25 minutes. Coaches and players use that word a lot, but we had ample opportunities and ample chances in the first half hour to put the result out of sight – but we simply chose not to,” Radford said.
“If you don’t put an honest performance in everyone can see it, and it is there for everyone to see. Our season hung on that result and at half-time and full-time I said we are where we are for a reason. When you play with that much energy and your season defines on it, you simply will not make the top eight.
“You’ll cheat your way into the top eight if you get in after performances like that.
“I think after 25 minutes they were ready to lay down for us, but we just kept feeding them a little bit of ball and a little bit of an opportunity. We put a lovely kick in from dummy-half and put them in the pocket where we wanted – then we go and give away a penalty to let them off the hook. Then in the set after it’s exactly the same – we invited them into our house, let them sit on our couch and grab our remote and watch the TV.”
