It was a fitting end to the Super 8s as the top two met at the KCOM Stadium in Hull with the winners taking the Minor Premiership and the loser likely to be passed by Wigan and drop to third spot where they would be playing away in the semi-finals next weekend.

Tony Smith made a number of positional and personnel changes after last weekends loss to the Warriors, when they should have been sealing the minor premiership as he hoped his side would stop an unchanged FC completing the second leg of their intended 2016 treble.

A win tonight would make, or a loss could break, respective seasons.

The visitors took the lead after five minutes when Tom Lineham was the beneficiary of a Matty Russell break and Stefan Ratchford grubber to the corner to collect a metre from the line and walk over. Declan Patton was wide with the conversion attempt.

On twelve minutes the Wolves crossed on the other wing when Kevin Penny took a Jack Hughes miss-out pass to go over in the corner on the overlap. Patton was again off target with the boot but the Airlie Birds crowd were increasingly subdued.

With Hull FC losing their cool, on fifteen Liam Watts was caught for a shoulder charge on Daryl Clarke and Patton kicked the penalty for 10-0.

Excellent Wolves defence kept FC at bay as the remaining twenty-five minutes of the half were scoreless.

Just over two minutes into the second half and Hull grabbed one back when Carlos Tuimavave weaved his way through the Wolves defence to stretch out and score on the line. Marc Sneyd was accurate with the boot and the Wire lead was down to four points.

Patton took the two points on offer for an interference at the play-the-ball on fifty-six with a twenty metre penalty. On sixty-one FC were caught for offside on their own twenty and Patton kicked another penalty for an eight point Wolves lead.

When FC were penalised for passing after the tackle was complete Patton added another penalty, his fourth on the night, for 16-6 as Warrington eased towards the win.

On seventy-four the Wolves sealed the win and the minor premiership she FC tried to keep the ball alive in their own twenty as it went to ground, was kicked forward by Lineham and picked up five from the line to dive over for his second of the night. Patton kicked the extra two for 22-6 to ensure that his side finished top of the pile.

Declan Patton added the icing to the cake with a seventy-eighth minute drop goal for the last points of the game.

This was a top drawer Warrington performance against a Hull side who seem to have lost their vital ingredient since their Wembley win. Warrington now welcome Saints to the Halliwell-Jones next Thursday before Hull FC have to travel to the DW on Friday to take on the Wigan Warriors for a place in the Grand Final.

FC: Shaul, Fonua, Michaels, Yeaman, Talanoa, Tuimavave (T), Sneyd (G), Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Manu, Minichiello, Ellis. Subs: Pritchard, Bowden, Thompson, Hadley.

Wolves: Russell, Lineham (2T), Evans, Atkins, Penny (T), Ratchford, Patton (5G, DG), Hill, Clark, Sims, Wilde, Hughes, Westerman. Subs: King G, King T, Smith, Philbin.

Referee: Ben Thaler.

Attendance: