Leigh Leopards 42 Hull FC 12: Hosts keep play-off hopes alive but Super League season in danger of petering out
One of the fears when the new grading system was announced is playing out in the closing stages of the Super League season.
Four teams have nothing to play for and two others are a couple of poor performances away from joining them.
Barring a spectacular collapse from one of the title contenders, the current top six will contest the play-offs.
That means a series of dead rubbers in the remaining weeks of the regular campaign, not that Hull FC will be complaining.
The Black and Whites have endured a miserable season and would have been in a scrap to avoid relegation without the introduction of the grading system.
There is a school of thought that Hull would not be in this position – just two points better off than basement side London Broncos – in a world of automatic relegation but the table does not lie, as they say.
The Airlie Birds have won just three games all year and were never likely to make it four at Leigh Leopards without as many as 14 players due to injury and suspension.
Several more have moved on since the start of the season, including overseas quartet Tex Hoy, Nu Brown, Franklin Pele and Jayden Okunbor.
Simon Grix fielded two more debutants on Sunday with Jed Cartwright and Sam Eseh becoming the 42nd and 43rd players used by the injury-ravaged Black and Whites, a staggering statistic that goes some way to explaining why they are second bottom and in danger of ending the year with the wooden spoon.
The Hull squad that starts next season will have a strong Leigh influence and they got a glimpse of their future up against John Asiata and Zak Hardaker, who scored two of the Leopards' eight tries.
The Airlie Birds have also signed Oliver Holmes to continue a raid that took Tom Briscoe and Ed Chamberlain to the MKM Stadium.
Hull will have a very different look in 2025 but in the here and now they are limping over the line with a bruised and broken squad.
The Black and Whites fought hard but were ultimately overwhelmed on a baking hot day in Greater Manchester.
With Hull target Lachlan Lam pulling the strings, Leigh kept their slim play-off hopes alive with a fifth win in six games.
The outstanding Kai O'Donnell helped himself to four tries as the Leopards put the away side to the sword in the second half.
Leigh were guilty of forcing passes in the early stages but opened the scoring in the 18th minute after taking advantage of Will Gardiner's yellow card for repeat offences.
O'Donnell spotted a huge hole in Hull's defensive line and stepped off his right foot to surge through it, with Asiata cleared of a knock-on in the build-up.
Tom Amone and Edwin Ipape were denied by desperate last-ditch defence as Leigh went in search of a second try in Gardiner's absence.
Hull saw out the 10-minute period without incurring further damage but eventually buckled when former Hull KR back-rower Frankie Halton ran a good line to hit Lam's flat pass and score his first try of the season.
The game appeared to be over but the Black and Whites are made of stronger stuff under interim boss Simon Grix and launched a spirited fightback before half-time.
Young full-back Logan Moy gave the visitors hope after Denive Balmforth's offload had put Carlos Tuimavave into space and they had an extra man following an inexplicable spear tackle by former Hull winger Darnell McIntosh.
The Airlie Birds took advantage when Harvey Barron overpowered Josh Charnley to touch down in the corner from Jack Walker's cut-out pass.
Jack Charles added his second conversion with the last kick of the half to draw the Black and Whites level but they were behind again five minutes into the second period despite having the extra man.
After Moy lost the ball deep in Hull territory, Lam dabbed a kick through that sat up perfectly for O'Donnell to score his second try.
O'Donnell turned provider to put Hardaker over after running a superb line to break through but the Leopards were down to 12 men again when Owen Trout was sin-binned following a clash of heads with Yusuf Aydin.
Leigh defied the one-man disadvantage to score twice, Lam putting McIntosh over with a looping pass before O'Donnell finished the half-back's deflected kick to complete his hat-trick.
O'Donnell made it four from Lam's flat pass and Hardaker rounded off the scoring following a lung-busting break by McIntosh.
Leigh Leopards: Hardaker, McIntosh, Hanley, Leutele, Charnley, Hughes, Lam, Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Halton, Asiata. Substitutes: Dwyer, Davis, Pene, Trout.
Tries: O'Donnell (18, 45, 68, 72), Halton (30), Hardaker (51, 79), McIntosh (63)
Goals: McIntosh 3/5, Hardaker 2/3
Sin bin: McIntosh (37), Trout (59)
Hull FC: Moy, Barron, Tuimavave, Briscoe, Martin, Walker, Charles, Ese'ese, Smith, Aydin, Cartwright, Ruan, Gardiner. Substitutes: Balmforth, Chan, Eseh, Jebson.
Tries: Moy (34), Barron (39)
Goals: Charles 2/2
Sin bin: Gardiner (17)
Referee: Jack Smith.