John Cartwright’s classy words on Wigan Warriors following Hull FC win: 'Something we're aspiring to be'

The Black and Whites defeated the Cherry and Whites on the road for the second time this year on Saturday afternoon, recording their biggest away win over Wigan in the Super League era in the 32-12 victory at the Brick Community Stadium.

Hull were 20-0 up at half-time thanks to first half tries from Jed Cartwright (2) and Aidan Sezer, as well as four goals from Jack Charles.

Christian Wade and Ethan Havard pulled two tries back for Wigan in the second half, but further efforts from Jordan Rapana and Jack Ashworth sealed a statement victory for Hull.

"In the grand scheme of things, it was a big win for us,” said Cartwright. “Getting to the point near the end of the season, every game is going to be important, but if we keep turning up performances like that, we don’t have to worry too much about what’s in front of us. It’s very pleasing.

"They (Wigan) really came here to play, they’re a champion side and they were never going to go away, so to repel what they threw at us, made some line breaks, the ball was in play, there was a lot of fatigue for that part of the game, I think kicks are often a little bit lucky to score tries, but I thought our pressure and chase on the kicks were second to none.”

In his post-match press conference, Cartwright was asked about the magnitude of winning twice at the home of a champion side in Wigan, and what that could do in terms of his side’s belief as they entered the top six play-off spots, with the Australian delivering high praise towards Matt Peet’s outfit.

"I’m just a huge admirer of Wigan,” Cartwright said. “The way the whole club handles themselves, the way the team handles themselves, how they play their game, how they respond when the game doesn’t go their way and the way they win games, so I’m a massive admirer of Wigan as a club, something that we’re aspiring to be at Hull FC, so to come here and get a win over a club I have so much respect for is a great feeling."

Cartwright also sang the praises of captain Aidan Sezer, who produced another Player of the Match display, with his kicking and running games coming to the fore in their win.

"Seze nailed the kicks, the chasers did their jobs, and that’s when you tend to get a little bit of luck,” Cartwright added. “On the back of possession, his kicking game was great, his leadership was fantastic, defensively he was very strong on (Junior) Nsemba, and he just controlled the game.

"Team performance-wise, it was probably as good as we’ve been able to do so far. He said to me after the game that he feels we have improvement in us, so that’s a real pleasing thing.”