Peet: We were poor, but credit to FC, they were outstanding
DAN TOMLINSON
MATT Peet didn’t hide away from the disappointment of Wigan Warriors’ defeat to Hull FC on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the coach from praising the Black and Whites, who held on for a 24-22 victory at the MKM Stadium.
Racing into a 18-4 half-time lead, Hull were good value. They started in blistering fashion, leaving Wigan, who fought back in the second half, with too much to do.
And while admitting it was a performance that fell below Wigan’s high standards, with the league leaders, who won 29 of their previous 31 fixtures before the clash, Peet still recognised the key facets behind Hull’s display, with the home side earning just their third win of the season after previous triumphs over London Broncos and Leeds Rhinos.
“I’m disappointed with our performance, particular the start of the game,” Peet said postmatch.
“We were just poor, I thought, with and without the ball.
“Credit to Hull FC. They were outstanding, both in terms of the way they played with the ball, the ends to their sets, which were disciplined, and the scramble defence, which was excellent. They played with a lot of desire.
“In every game of rugby league, if you don’t get the start right, you put yourself in danger, and so it proved. I thought there was a lot of effort and energy for us at the end, but it was too little too late.
“We turned some uncharacteristic ball over but that’s also credit to Hull FC with the positions they put us in with their kicking game.
“They defended with energy, which is what you expect, but we failed to deal with it.
“I’ve said many times, you can turn up to every game knowing that you might lose, but there is certain expectations of what you’re going to get from one another and I thought we fell behind that. This has just proved that any less than our best won’t cut it.”